


Broken Facades

by AussieDollVA



Category: Tales of Series, Tales of Zestiria
Genre: AU, Angst, Fluff, Get caught up in the feels, I want these babies to be happy, Mikleo misses his nerd buddy, Mikleo still doesn't know how to live without Sorey, More characters to be added, Multi, OC knows how to use the English language, Plot-heavy, She's not afraid to do it, Sorey be Snoozing, Sorey is love sorey is life, Spoilers for Mikleo's backstory, Swearing, You've been warned, explicit scenes are debatable, fix-my-heart-fic, i need more gay in my life. it's too straight, mikleo needs a hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-07 07:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18405755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AussieDollVA/pseuds/AussieDollVA
Summary: It's difficult to accept success, especially when the price is your whole world being ripped out from under you. Words left unsaid only makes the pain acute, stabbing directly in the heart with every memory.When Mikleo is sent into a land rampant with not malevolence, but the thick stench of pollution, he was confused. People could communicate clearly without the use of a squire pact, Seraphim were nothing more than a children's tale, and there was such a thing as plastic.He didn't realise the pollution was killing him until he came home.!!!CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR MIKLEO'S BACKSTORY!!!





	1. Can't Touch This

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this is my new baby. I'll get back to the Voltron fic when I know where I'm going with that (kind of wrote it on a whim, that one). 
> 
> I just wanted to escape my circumstances for the time. This fic is my new holiday destination. It'll be updated whenever I have the urge to write. Being a uni student, it might be more often than not. We'll do this by ear. 
> 
> And, yes, this is a "We" thing. I write, you read. If you don't like what you read, there's this button at the top of the screen that you can press to click out of the fic. It's great. In any case, I need you readers to tell me what you think! Think you can do that for me? I'll be forever grateful. <3 <3
> 
> Chapter Summary: Taliah.

Howling winds smacking wave upon wave of torrential downpour wasn’t the best way to end the day. Admittedly, it wasn’t the worst. Taliah was glad she remembered to braid her thick hair back before she left her classroom, certain it would’ve frizzed comically into her mouth the moment she stepped out of her lecture theatre. With a betrayed glare at the broken overhead covering, she silently cursed her school’s ‘ _eco-friendly_ ’ layout, valuing open fields dotted with trees over a student-friendly _indoors_ environment. To her left, she noted the lake beside her school was flooding the surrounding area. Taliah kissed her train home goodbye, along with any other means of transportation. 

Knowing the school staff weren’t going to appreciate her loitering outside their precious theatre, she did her best to combat the elements. Her clothes had some amount of water resistance, which allowed her to make it past the university gates before succumbing to the icy rain. Still, she continued onward. The violin strapped to her back was already waterlogged from the morning downpour, her notes sodden to the point of pages sticking together. She’d just read her textbook (safely tucked away under her bed at home) later. If later came, that is. 

A shiver tore across her torso. Winter rains should be banned. Life on Earth could burn for all she cared in that moment. The road in front of her was flooded up to her knees, car hoods lining the road like colourful submarines. Water surged, making it harder to walk. She pouted sourly at the motorboats that breezed past her. None of them offered to help her out.

_Assholes._

Tears stung hot against her chilled face, marking invisible trails through the rain. Frozen to the point where she no longer remembered what warmth even was, Taliah made the decision to turn into the next gate on her left, turning towards the lake and its many playgrounds. Squinting through the heavy rain, she took note of her options. She could climb to the top of the spider-climb and hang onto the ropes until the rain stops. _And get even more sick? No way_. She let her gaze move on. 

Closer to the lake was a set of small houses for toddlers who wanted to play house. Only their plastic roofs were visible above the flooding. Last was the artificial hill-climb with slides gorged into its structure, a wooden lookout accessible at the top. It was the highest point in this playground. Taliah knew there was a taller version of this lookout at a park on the other side of the lake, but this would do for now. As it was, the bottom of the lookout was at least twenty yards above the flooding, and from personal experience, Taliah knew the inside had shutters along the windows and entrance, like a real lookout. 

_That’ll work._

Water rising to mid-thigh, Taliah waded to the jutting handholds and hoisted herself up, violin case and all, until she’d reached the top. Her arms and legs trembled with bone-deep chill and the pain of overexertion. She let her forehead press into the grainy artificial flooring, trying to centre herself. Being a shut-in really bit her in the ass whenever she left her room. 

With what little strength she had, she pushed herself up into a kneel. All that could be felt was the chilling wind and a light shower. Looking up, she noticed the sunshade covering the area. That was good. It meant the lookout’s insides were dry. Hopefully. A short crawl through the toddler-sized entrance revealed that her hopes were laid true. The rough wooden flooring was dry, even with her sodden pants and boots dragging in mud and debris. Without scanning the area, she reached for the window shutters and closed them as much as they’d go. Now only a faint light peeked through, rain patting rhythmically. Putting her violin and carry-bag against a wall on her left, she finally took stock of her surroundings. She swore her heart stopped for a full second. 

_Fuck._

Curled against the back wall, opposite from the door, was a male shivering figure. Or, at least, what she assumed was a male. All political correctness aside, there was a person in the hut. Sure, they were unconscious, soaked to the bone and looked like they had a raging fever, but they were a person. People weren’t to be trusted – not outside the family, that is. Her mother would’ve had a field day if she were here, with warnings and cautionary tales packed to the rafters; this guy could be into all sorts of things: drugs, homeless, bad crowd – and last she checked: she wasn’t very happy with people. The ‘warning stories’ her mother tried to feed her on a daily basis played on a loop in her head, background noise to a jaded mind. Still, there was the faintest flashes of empathy bubbling from the centre of her chest.

_Must’ve gotten caught up in the storm…_

With a wary glare, daring the figure to spring up at her with a knife or broken glass, she approached the figure. She ignored her protesting knees as she took in his appearance. He appeared to wear some sort of intricate suit she’d seen on some of the dancers in her performances, with belts clasping an overshirt to his frame and intricate silvery swirls detailing the trims of his blue attire. Matted hair mussed awkwardly across his scalp, faded brown with darker tips. A circlet rested upon his brow, centred by a dazzling green gem. The light in the room was weak, but the gemstone beckoned Taliah over with a hypnotic glimmer. She felt some type of energy emitting from it.

Hand outstretched, she let her index finger graze its surface with a care ingrained in her from babysitting her family’s birds. Even with the lightest touch, a warmth shot through her hand, reaching up her arm and into her heart. She felt it take the organ in its hold, its beat almost stopping entirely. She couldn’t even gasp. Her sight blacked out.

Her surroundings swapped from the lookout’s interior into an open shrine. There was flames licking the very air around her, a thick miasma pressing her down. She wanted to get up, but her limbs wouldn’t cooperate. Panic ate hungrily at her stomach. Distantly, she heard a woman crying.

_“The child! The child!”_

_What child?_ She thought, seeing a man leap into the flames and lift a bundle. It wasn’t moving. 

_“He’s alive… He’s alive, but… My god…”_

The man’s voice was as faint as the woman’s, as if he were saying it underwater. The man turned to a blazing altar; intricate wooden carvings devoured by the flames dancing enticingly around its marble structure. 

_“Maotelus… All is lost… Maotelus has become a hellion, and this… this innocent child…”_

His voice was drenched with horror and a heavy dose of despair. Taliah tried to focus on the bundle in his arms. She sensed something emitting from its form, dark and cloying. She shuddered. 

_**“All due to the insipid ambitions of one man…”** _

Her heart rattled in her chest. Fear made her want to stand up; made her want to grab the baby and go. The baby might not be part of the family, but maternal instincts were hard to dismiss. The man in the fire emitted a similar energy as the bundle, only stronger and far more devastating. The woman seemed to sense it too.

_“Brother? Wait!”_

The man, the woman’s brother, ignored her pleas he sauntered to the altar. Flames seemed to part as he drew near, encasing him in a fiery silhouette. 

_“No, don’t! Please! Brother!”_

Tears leaked down Taliah’s face. She knew how this would end. She couldn’t move—could barely breathe. She couldn’t save the child.

**_“O ye who brought us this misfortune… I grant thee eternal solitude!”_ **

The knife struck true. With it, the miasma in the air condensed into the child’s body and rose up in a fiery pillar. Watching in grim silence, Taliah felt something inside her break. She barely heard the man as he uttered.

_“Heldalf. Live now and forever in a hell of your own making.”_

At that, the scene faded, replaced by the lookout’s interior. 

For a moment, all Taliah could do was stare at the wall in front of her, grief evident in the horrified tears trailing her cheeks. She had the intense urge to break something. It wasn’t _fair_. It was just a _baby_. And he—he—

 _Look down…_ A whisper breezed by her ear. Raging maternal grief momentarily frozen, she glanced down. Glazed amethyst eyes peered at her from under mud-caked hair. She blushed, embarrassed at being caught while her emotions had ruled her for however brief the moment had been. Pain still sat comfortably within her chest, but it was a dull throb rather than the sharp pain that has struck when the knife had fallen. 

“U-uh, hi?” She lamely greeted. His fevered face made no notion of recognition of neither her words nor his surroundings. She bit her lip. Taliah knew that there were diseases you could catch by skin contact, blood contact, saliva, sweat, and many others. Still, her caring instincts kicked in, hatred for humanity be damned. 

When she pressed a cool hand against his forehead, the boy – looking maybe 16 with his babyish face and soft skin – seemed to relax into a doze, eyes fluttering shut as he nuzzled into her hand. She hardly blamed him; he was burning something fierce. With her other hand, she checked his airways. 

_Fever, but airways seem cleared. Breathing isn’t even hitched. Doesn’t look like the flu._

She had to remind herself that the flu wasn’t the only evil to contend with in the winter. 

_Hypothermia?_

Remembering those survival shows she binged whenever she was bored but didn’t want to go outside, she compared the symptoms to her patient.

_Well, he’s shivering. That’s one. Loss of consciousness, breathing was kinda shallow. That’s three._

Racking her brain, she remembered there was something about the pulse. She used the hand that had checked his airways to press against where the pulse could be felt just under the jaw, along the side of his slender neck. Compared to her own heartbeat, which pounded strong through the frozen rage that still cut through her stomach with more fury than the storm outside, the boy’s pulse seemed slow—sluggish, even. 

_I guess that’s another point. I think there was something about drowsiness or very low energy…_

Pulling her hands from him, she noticed that the hand that had resided on his head came away with clay soil, the kind that lines the sides of the lake. A frown creased her lips. She bit worryingly.

_Symptoms of secondary drowning can be fever… He’s not coughing, but…_

She wasn’t a doctor. She didn’t know what she was doing. Taliah could only make sure the kid kept breathing for so long…

_My phone is dead. Even if a recovery team got to us, I doubt he’d be able to get to a hospital in time._

After that horrible vision, dream, hallucination – _whatever_ —she didn’t want to have to deal with more death. Yes, she wasn’t exactly humanity’s biggest fan, but still…

_He’s just a kid…_

Even looking at him, she could see there was something about him that emanated the innocence only a child could produce. She didn’t know what to do, but she had to do something. She couldn’t let him die like this, cold and alone.

 _That’s not true, you’re here_ , the wind seemed to whisper. Its presence calmed her, allowing her to think of a strategy. Suddenly, something seemed to click into place.

 _Bouts of intense stress can induce fever_ , she recalled, _leading scientists to believe mental health can affect overall physical health._

 _Whatever the case_ , she glanced through the doorway at the storm raging through the darkening precinct, _I’ll do what I can. Being stranded more fun when your roommate isn’t a corpse._

With that thought, Taliah shed her soaked coat, dumping it to her left just out of reach. She ignored the blue tint her fingers had seemed to adopt, pulling her fingerless gloves and pants off and tossing them into the small pile of clothing. Her boots and socks followed suit, leaving her in only her undergarments and long-sleeve hooded jumper. It didn’t provide her with much warmth, but that could wait. It was better to be out of wet clothing than risk getting sick with no supplies available to keep her alive. 

Reaching shaking hands out until they hovered a few inches from the prone form in front of her, she focussed her mind. Warmth flared from the centre of her chest, snaking outward until they brushed her fingertips. The blue hue they’d adopted soon faded as the warmth leaked out and kissed the boy’s clothes. She kept them there until the briefest hints of steam filled the air, then moved up toward his head. 

The warmth wasn’t just from her hands; she’d manipulated the air around her patient so it would circulate to even the parts she couldn’t see. It was difficult – her specialisation wasn’t in the elements – but still, studying the techniques needed for this feat appeared to be enough. Her shaking hands felt more steady as she progressed, seeming to become used to their new purpose by the end. Sure enough, by the time she was finished, the boy was warm and dry. 

Her mind felt buzzed like she’d drunken a whole case of moonshine in one swig, vision blurring for the briefest moments before focussing. She labelled it as exhaustion and promptly ignored it. She had to deal with the sodden pile of clothes so she wouldn’t freeze in her sleep. It took a little longer than drying the boy, but that was to be expected; she’d been caught up in the flood, after all. She was grateful her body decided to give out after she’d finished her goal. 

Slumped against the ground, watching the ceiling warp and spin like the insides of a clothes dryer, she entertained the thought that maybe pushing herself so hard without any sustenance on hand probably wasn’t the best idea.

Hoisting herself up on violently trembling limbs, she decided that putting on her pants was the farthest she’d get in terms of decency. Not bothering to think twice about her circumstances led her to throwing her coat over the boy only a bare meter away, figuring it was a better use than bothering to keep the incoming cold or flu away. 

Taliah resigned herself to staring at a swirling ceiling, now unable to hold herself up.

_This whole situation sucks ass._


	2. Kindness Can Be Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikleo.

Blurry lines curled across squinted vision. From his vantage point, he counted a short opening on the opposite side of the room – a door, maybe? – and a lump covered in what looked to be dark cloth between them. His mouth tilted in a confused frown.

_I thought Elysia had bigger houses—_

Amethyst eyes widened like saucers. Dread curdled unpleasantly at the bottom of his stomach as past memories surfaced from the depths of his mind. A cacophony of terrified screams mixed with the roars of a fully-fledged dragon haunted him, causing him to shudder further into the unfamiliar coat atop him. It was warm…

Through it all, one thought played back to him like a flickering flame in a thunderstorm that refused to die. It caused the stirrings of vehement hatred to pool into Mikleo’s very core, burning low and colder than the air outside the coat’s protection. More than that, it gave him a name; twisted and vile as its person.

_Symonne._

Thinking about her made him freeze from the inside out. The Elysians… They were all…

_She tainted every single one of them._

The thought sunk like a stone, pinning his trembling form beneath his protective barrier. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t breathe through the thick malevolent miasma slicked down his throat, nor did it matter that the lump in front of him was moving. He was too far gone in his grief, his despair, to care about the trivialities of having an audience. The only person that ever mattered to him was asleep, tucked safe in the arms of an ancient Seraphim Lord. 

To his shame, that thought momentarily quelled the raging currents within him. 

With his mind somewhat free from his emotional shipwreck, Mikleo noticed that the lump was now much closer. A weight, presumably a hand, had rested itself on an upturned shoulder, offering warmth beyond the thick material between them. Something soft grazed his cheek, brushing the skin in an almost loving manner. A fluttering of damp eyelashes revealed that something to be hair, dark and braided thick. A hand darted around the hair, softly brushing away stray tears. That hand moved to the shoulder curling him into the ground. They seemed to have little trouble hoisting him up into an unsteady seated position, making sure to brace him against the wall. 

Glistening amethyst eyes peered into steady metallic. The intense scrutiny carried forth made him mildly uncomfortable, like he was being clinically undressed in every sense of the word. Every thought and urge felt bared to this mysterious person. Not a piece of him was left unexplored by the time those sharp eyes glanced away. 

“You got all creepy for a second…” An alto voice mumbled lowly, almost gruff when compared to the soft feminine face pairing it. 

_You’re one to talk._

His thought earned him a pouted glare, making him check to see if he’d said that out loud. No, it’d definitely been a thought. 

_So how—?_

The girl—a Seraphim? —rolled her eyes, shuffling around until one of her hands could reach a pocket lining the strange coat still covering Mikleo’s torso. When it emerged, she proceeded to dab away any remaining tears with the scrap cloth she’d retrieved. He stilled under her ministrations, intimately aware of how close their bodies were. If she leaned even an inch further, she’d have him pinned against the hard wood at his back. 

Nervousness must’ve shown in his features because not even a second later the girl had pulled back, apparently satisfied with her work. A toss was all it took to return the cloth to its resting place. Without a backward glance, she moved to the opening of the room, peeking her head out in what looked like a cursory glance. She pulled herself back in with a nod, decision made. Whatever that decision was, Mikleo couldn’t say, but he felt it necessary to make it less awkward. He took a deep breath, watching her open a strange case containing an even stranger-looking lute. His confusion didn’t avert him from his objective.

“I’m Mikleo,” He said, hoping it would prompt his fellow squatter into reciprocating. A side-glance of sharp metal seemed to glare at him from her crouched position, making him gulp, before softening into something less cold.

“Taliah.”

That was it. No friendly chit-chat, none of the sunny disposition he’d come to associate with the strangers he’d met in his travels as a Sub-Lord. It almost looked like she was overwrought with malevolence – her eyes were certainly as calculating as _Symonne’s_ – but if he really looked back on it, her tone wasn’t as cold. _It's almost like she's tired…_

“I’m fine,” her voice jarred him out of his musings. He stared in bewilderment.

“How did you—” _know what I was thinking?_

“I just do. Sit tight.”

And that was that. With her strange lute and hair-strung stick, Taliah darted out of the hut. Mikleo could only blink when sweet tones echoed from the entrance, indicating his companion was playing whatever instrument she had. Huddled under the coat that must’ve been Taliah’s, Mikleo felt kind of bad that she hadn’t taken it back. The temperature was chilling beyond its shelter and her shirt had looked rather thin. His guilt urged him to return it, despite his newfound dislike toward the chill. A sharp sneeze interrupted the music outside only affirmed that this was the right choice. 

Poking his head out of the hut’s opening, Mikleo saw Taliah coughing softly into her shirtsleeve, shaking with every wet sound that escaped her. In this light, he could see that her marble-white skin had a grey-ish tint to it, looking unhealthy even by Seraphim standards. A spark of worry seized him when he saw the arm pull away with globs of red and brown. Dangerously swaying from her perch at the edge of what was once a steep hill and now the peak of a small island, she managed to swing her head in his direction. Dark shadows lined her weary expression. 

“What?” Her voice was harsh from her fit, but metallic eyes never strayed from his. He thought back to the congealing blood marking her wrist and then to the jacket that cloaked him. Mikleo wanted to give the coat back, if only to protect her from the cold. 

“No,” Her voice was stern, “don’t bother.”

It was almost as she were scolding him. 

“You’re going to get sick— _errr_ , sick _er_ ,” he protested, taking the coat from his frame and holding it out for her to take. 

An icy wind took that moment to blow past. Mikleo folded in on himself, hating himself for the pitiful coughs that escaped his shivering form. Taliah suffered a similar reaction, subdued though it may be. Regardless, she placed her strange lute and stranger stick down beside her, crawling over and accepting the coat. For that brief moment, Mikleo mourned the loss. That was, until she proceeded to take his arms from his torso and shove them through the sleeves, zipping the coat and buttoning wherever necessary. By the end, he felt sufficiently bundled in his nest of warmth, the coat’s hood up over his matted hair and tail reaching below his waist. He also felt extremely guilty. 

Taliah placed both her hands on his shoulders, urging him to meet her gaze.

“Don’t do stuff you know you’ll regret. Focus on getting better. You might not feel it right now, but you’re burning up. Fevers can kill faster than the cold. I’ll be fine,” Her words were soft, picking out every one of Mikleo’s worries as they found the will to pop into his head. It would’ve unnerved him how well she seemed to understand his thought processes, but it still didn’t change his goal. Seeing the oncoming protest, Taliah’s shoulders slumped, eyes half-cast with exhaustion. Mikleo’s eyes widened. 

“I know it’s hard. The situation sucks and staying down is probably the worst thing anyone can do, but it’s the only thing we _can_ do. Humanitarian Services should be boating the area soon. We’ll catch a ride, maybe get some supplies, and hike it to somewhere safe.”

The lilt in her voice was faint, barely there, but its cadence untangled the knot of guilt that had taken over a majority of Mikleo’s stomach. He found himself nodding along to her words, mind calmed and slightly hazy from the protection Taliah emitted. It was like he’d found himself in a domain as powerful as Gramps’ had been. The warmth from his feverish body was barely present compared to the sleepy euphoria she’d instilled in him. He almost wanted to point out the hypocrisy of the situation, but Taliah interrupted that train of thought like an avalanche to a train track. 

“You should go inside. Sleep. I’ll wake you when help comes.”

Her voice echoed a little as his head rolled forward. He didn’t remember laying back against the hut’s inner wall, nor did he remember when his head was rested against Taliah’s strange instrument case. He couldn’t do anything but remain pliant as his caretaker assembled his limbs. 

Then, he slept.


	3. Pie Brings People Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taliah.

Lulling Mikleo to sleep was a relief, to both Taliah and her snoozing companion. 

With no food or water on hand, rest was the only available option to aid his recovery. Taliah let a hand rest along his brow, checking his fever. 

_Not as bad as last night, but still not good enough._

In any case, this was a sign of recovery. Taking a moment to check his features, Taliah had to admit Mikleo was rather cute. Not in the crushing sort of way, but like a younger sibling. Pale lashes fluttered against cotton-soft skin; mouth parted slightly as he breathed. His hands were curled by his head, knees brought close to his chest to preserve warmth. If the hood hadn’t covered his hair, Taliah was sure she would’ve let herself indulge in smoothing out the unruly dirt-stained locks. 

It took an iron will for her to silence her maternal instincts. It was always difficult to ignore her need to protect those younger than her, made even harder by that vision last night and the fact that this boy – _Mikleo_ – had the soul of an infant. If she were being generous, she’d say it was the same babe from that vision. Those thoughts were carefully gathered and set aside in a box at the back of her mind. It was time to get to work.

With her patient bundled and curled in his corner, she deemed it safe to resume her violin, shutting the hut’s door on the way out to keep out as much wind as possible. A piece of her settled at the action, unconsciously warming her chest with a fierce desire to guard, guard, guard—

_I gotta get my fucking head in the game. High School Musical, don’t fail me now._

Mentally reciting that song helped to distract her; made it easier to turn her softened expression into ice and stone, metallic eyes glaring at an uncaring world. Bleak overcast sky and icy winds met her expression head-on, matching her duality with unforgiving brutality. Regardless, she picked up her violin, set the bow, and begun to play. 

The vibrations hummed pleasantly through her congested chest. Fingers burned and ached as they pressed into freezing strings, vibratos running deep into her exposed hands. This time, she’d chosen to stand as she played, feeling most of the damage of using elemental artes passing. Her natural aura fell around the area like a pure white veil, promising protection and care. As she played her aura expanded. It called for an audience; it called for ears to hear and to help. 

She knew pushing herself so much was dangerous, knowing that anything could answer her calls, but she had to risk it. The temperature would only plummet tonight, taking away whatever warmth the sun had graced them with during the day. 

Using her abilities like this always shot a trace of thrill through her. Being able to alter an entire room’s atmosphere, make them feel things they normally wouldn’t feel through words and song – it was the whole reason she applied for her free-from composition class. She was content being a historic scholar while playing in her free time, but performing the way she was now, with an expanding aura demanding attention and awe – it left her at the peak of a high, heady and enticed for her next fix. Time passed as one song blurred into the next, making what had to be hours feel like mere minutes.

She was so focussed on this encompassing feeling she almost missed the boat that rocked next to her playground island. 

“Need some help?” An aged woman’s call broke her spell, bringing her mind back to a submerged world. Taliah blinked down, taking in the woman’s motorboat and the pies and water stocked up indicating she was with the Humanitarian Services. She could only nod in thanks as the woman offered a large pie and two plastic jugs of water, taking the offered goods with an appreciation for the rare kindness shown.

“Thank you,” Taliah breathed, opening the pie box to see that it was a chunky steak pie cut into eight pieces. She closed it, intending to give most of it to her companion, “there’s a sick kid inside. We really needed this.”

The woman waved her off, as if she didn’t just save a couple of strangers from death’s doorstep.

“Think nothin’ of it,” The woman’s southern accent was nothing but warm, “I’ll call them raft division folk ta give ya one of them paddleboards. Should help y’all get home, right as rain.” 

_She sounds just like Celestia…_

Taliah couldn’t hide the slight upturn of her lips, nor the way her eyes shone with unshed tears. She chuckled, nodding appreciatively for the nameless woman’s efforts.

“Thank you. God bless you.” 

“God bless ya too, Sweet-Pea.”

With that, the kind woman sped away, likely on her way to deliver more pies. Taliah watched her, feeling like something had clicked in her heart with that encounter. She knew Celestia’s absence had left a hole, but even moments like these, hearing that southern drawl and all the warmth a human could contain being given freely without a second thought – it made her miss her adopted sister even more. 

_I hope you’re happy where you are, Stars. I hope your man be treatin’ you right._

Her own head had put on the southern drawl. She had to resist the urge to facepalm. Thinking about her married sister always put a smile on her face, regardless of the circumstance. 

It was with these raised spirits that Taliah glanced down at her left wrist, checking her watch. 

_Five hours. How did I manage to play that long?_

She blushed, blaming the weather for her forgetfulness. In an effort to save face – despite there being nobody around to see her flush— she went inside the hut with the food and water, closing the door behind her. Mikleo was where she’d left him, snoozing in the back corner, dead to the world. A hand to his forehead revealed his fever had broken, leaving his skin cool to the touch. Taliah sighed. That was one less problem to deal with. Now to wake him up…

Focussing on the white veil of light that seemed to coat her skin, she let it expand until it had both her and Mikleo shrouded in its light. Sensing his mind through the fog, she whispered faintly, unwilling to startle him from such a deep sleep. 

_It’s time to wake up…_

Mikleo’s breathing deepened, signalling his return to consciousness. His eyes didn’t open straight away, but it was to be expected. Healing sleeps left the patient confused and disoriented for the first hour after waking, and it took much longer before they were able to stand without help. 

Using these abilities didn’t drain her – at least, she didn’t feel it drain her – as much as practicing elemental artes. That was made evident last night, when the act of breathing through the pain was almost impossible. Fire needed breath; the energy that had come from that breath had scorched her lungs until they were near unusable. It was only due to her healing aura that she’d managed to survive the night and recovered as she’d played. Music always did help her focus…

“T-Taliah…?” Mikleo’s voice was weak, barely a mumble through what had to be quite the haze. Just this once, she let her face soften into a smile as she let a hand slip through the hood to brush a strand of hair from his face, taking care to avoid the circlet. She didn’t want to watch such a gory vision right now.

“You awake, buddy?” Her voice was kept low, aware of the heightened senses her patients often get after waking from her healing sleeps.

“Mmhh…” Amethyst eyes peered through squinted eyes. It was clear he was fighting the urge to go back to sleep. 

“Don’t push yourself. The Humanitarian Services are coming by later with a way to ditch this joint. An old lady came by with enough food and water to last us the day. We’ll be fine.” Her words managed to somewhat soothe the boy. He let his eyes drift shut, leaning into her touch. It looked kind of like he was pouting, though.

“I feel weird…” His voice was getting stronger with every passing minute. Still, Taliah could detect the faint whine accompanying the words. 

“Yeah, that’s what happens when you sleep. Sometimes it feels too good to wake up.” 

“I don’t need to sleep though…” 

Taliah’s eyebrows furrowed. She wondered if he was an insomniac, in order to have a response like that. Regardless, she humoured him.

“And why’s that, Mikleo?” 

“’M Seraphim. We don’t need sleep,” It was said so factually, Taliah could only blink as Mikleo brought his hands under him and hoisted himself into a sitting position. She hid her shock behind her usual expression of ice and stone, letting her metallic eyes assess her companion’s health. 

“You’re certainly looking better than earlier. Your fever broke,” She said calmly. She couldn’t let on how weird it was that Mikleo apparently skipped through a two hour wait for his limbs to coordinate themselves. It was convenient, nothing more. 

_Seraphim? Uhhhh, sure. Apparently, those exist now._

“I had a fever?” He was so confused. Taliah took his chin in her hands, not reacting to the embarrassed flush that decorated his face and what was exposed of his neck. She rest the back of her hand on his cheek, waiting a moment to feel past the blush. Her earlier assessment had been accurate.

“It’s gone now. Let’s hope you don’t relapse,” Taliah removed her hands from his face, reaching back for the pie and water jugs. One jug went to each person and the pie was placed between them. “Dig in. Take as much as you want.” She made no move for the food, herself. Mikleo noticed this.

“What about you?” He seemed conflicted between wanting the pie and not wanting to eat by himself.

“I’ll eat whatever’s left over. I’m not really hungry—” An audible growl interrupted her. Taliah's expression didn’t change. “That was you,” she was fast to pin. 

“W-what? No way! That was all you.” Mikleo’s shock didn’t stop him from noticing the lie. He also happened to notice a familiar glint in Taliah’s eye. He seemed to want to take back his words, but it was too late. The damage had been done.

“Awe, is Mikleo embarrassed because he’s hungry? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” Her voice was completely even, not betraying an ounce of her amusement. 

“Y-you won’t?” He knew exactly why her words shocked him, just like how he knew this wasn’t the end of it. 

“Of course I won’t. It wouldn’t be fair if I said _Snackleo_ didn’t get his daily feed. That would make me a horrible human being, preying on the weak and impressionable.” She had the gall to look incensed. 

“That’s not my name. It’s—” 

“Come on, Snackleo. Won’t you have a piece? I hear they’re made with love.” She precariously dangled a piece up for Mikleo to take, a knowing sparkle in her reflective eyes. He took the slice, if only to keep the filling from falling out, only to huddle further into his corner as though the physical defence mattered. 

“You’re as bad as Edna,” He pouted, nibbling on the pastry. His expression changed after a moment, eyes looking down at his pie. “This is really good…”

Taliah had to smile, putting her head on a propped fist. “It’s chunky steak pie. Humanitarian Services have a few bakers on hand for when the lake floods over. They bring free pies to whoever’s stranded on this side of town.” 

Noticing Mikleo’s gaze on his water jug, she leaned over and cracked open the seal. She promptly screwed the lid all the way and made it accessible next to the jug. He seemed surprised – either by the action or that the jug actually had water in it, Taliah didn’t know. Either way, Mikleo accepted the drink without checking if it was poison. Internally cringing didn’t do her any favours. It was an unmarked jug. 

“Do you have a house around here? Any family to get home to?” Taliah was fishing for clues, she knew that. She also knew there was a chance the kid in front of her was homeless. Despite what he said about being a Seraphim, she wanted to hold judgement until she had more information. Already, she could tell the boy in front of her wasn’t homeless, if only because of the confident shake of his head and open smile. 

“My family’s in Elysia. I’d arrived there with my friends when…” He trailed off, a stormy expression creeping in. Taliah tilted her head inquisitively, knowing full well she was treading on thin ice.

“When?” she prodded. The stormy expression seemed to dissipate as though it wasn’t there to start with.

“We were attacked. By another Seraph, Symonne. She ambushed my village with a hoard of hellions. We – my friends and I – had just entered Elysia when it happened. I have no idea how I ended up here, though; just that one minute I was encased by malevolence and the next I was at the bottom of the lake. This seemed like as good a cover as any, with the rain coming in hard. I don’t remember much after getting up here, though.” He took this moment to take the last bite of his slice, reaching for another. Taliah took the opportunity as it was and pressed for more information.

“Hellions… Sounds like serious stuff,” She figured if her companion was willing to talk about what happened, then asking about the technicalities wasn’t out of left field. 

“Yeah, they’re the by-products of malevolence infusing with their environment. There are different kinds; flora, fauna, human, Seraphim, thought, and inanimate objects,” He explained. Mikleo looked like he’d make a good teacher. He didn’t talk down on her, or at her, but rather with her. 

“And this malevolence is…?” 

“Created and emitted by humans. I believe its root lies in duality, which humans practice in excess.”

Taliah hummed, putting a fist to her chin. A knuckle tapped softly on her bottom lip. She couldn’t help but get lost in thought – the words Mikleo stated so calmly matched almost perfectly with her books at home. Does he know about elemental artes? Was he like her? Could he heal those afflicted by taint?

_No way is our family the only ones in on this shit._

Letting the topic go for the moment seemed like her best bet. She reached for her violin, taking the moment of peace to pack it away. The old lady said she’d give the transport people their location so there wasn’t a need to play it anymore, if she even could. As it stood, her left hand felt cramped, fingers appearing to be a few layers of skin shy of bleeding. Her callouses from working the instrument were completely worn away. 

She didn’t bother cleaning the instrument – it was ruined once it fully dried anyways, too much water had gotten into it earlier – but the bow was carefully wiped of rosin. The music store was on this side of town, which was sufficiently flooded to the extent that getting a new bow for orchestra practice would be more pain than it was worth. Maybe this one would survive. She could only hope. 

It was only after she’d zipped the case shut that she noticed Mikleo’s eyes staring right at her. She aimed her sharp eyes his way, soft in their inquisitive nature.

“What is it?” She asked, worried maybe eating four slices of pie straight after waking was disagreeing with him. The strange look on his face didn’t seem to be one of discomfort, but people could hide their intentions. He seemed startled about getting caught out, immediately averting his eyes down into his fifth slice. That was more than half the pie gone. Still, the look on Mikleo’s face didn’t fade, it only grew more intense.

“Your family… Are they…?”

Instantly, Taliah’s view of the world decided to take a shit on itself. She didn’t think Mikleo would care about people he’d never met before, let alone to the extent where any indication of them being harmed would make him uncomfortable. That was a rare trait these days.

“They’re on the other side of the lake, up in the mountains. They own one of them, actually. Ellensvale. It’s the one we’ll be hiking to. A bit far from Laketown – that’s where we are right now – but… it’s got food and shelter. It’s nice there, you’re love it.” She found her mouth turning up into a smile at his consideration, even if her words never left their soft monotone. It felt like she was talking to Celestia, everything making her want to smile. She hadn’t wanted to smile this much since her sister had moved away. 

It felt nice.

Mikleo seemed to find solace in her words, a relieved smile painting his cracked lips, bejewelled eyes lit up like lanterns. 

_God, this kid is so pure. I hope this Symonne bitch gets a fucking face-full of mutant piranhas. How could she attack something this sweet? If I wasn’t prediabetic I think I’d get the whole damn disease right now –_

“Hey! Anyone in there?” A familiar male voice called out from beyond the walls. Taliah’s expression instantly reverted to its ice and stone composition. She left the hut without a word.

Sure enough, there was Chad. Oh, and there was some other guy. If anything, Never-Gonna-Happen was just as surprised as she was, expression shocked no doubt by her exhausted appearance. 

_It’s like he expects a girl to look her best after that shitshow. Fuck that guy, seriously._

“Nora said you were lookin’ for a couple a’ paddleboards, for you and tha’ kid,” The man’s voice drew Taliah’s attention. He had a southern drawl, much like Nora, but not as strong. He looked old enough to be Chad’s dad. Regardless of relation, he was obviously in charge of the paddleboards that would get her and Mikleo to safety, and so she vowed to treat this situation like one of her family’s stupid galas.

“Yeah. Kid’s inside resting up. We were hoping to get to my family’s place on the other side of town with these things.” She gestured to the trio of paddleboards floating behind the obviously expensive motorboat. Her voice was warm, expression welcoming and kind. She didn’t bother giving _Captain Asshat_ an ounce of her attention. Mikleo was more important than this fucker any day.

“Alrighty, we’ll just drop two of these babies right here with you. Be sure to drop them off at the nearest Humanitarian Services Centre when you reach your folks’ place.” It helped that this man was nice to talk to. He seemed concerned, probably from Nora telling him about Mikleo being sick. The man was efficient in his actions, untying the boards from the back and handing her two paddles after the boards had been secured on the playground island.

_Today is a day to appreciate humanity, isn’t it?_

“We will. Thank you so much for your help.”

Like Nora, the man waved her off. It was like helping people was so ingrained in their lives that thanking them seemed foreign. Taliah doubted many people in these parts did it anymore. They bid each other farewell, but before the man could start the boat’s motor, Chad stood up.

“Taliah! Wait up!” Smart boy didn’t jump out of the boat. Taliah had half a mind (okay, try _all_ ) to kick him into the deluge. Still, she maintained her airy caring persona. 

“What’s up?” Her voice was deceptively bright.

“What’s your answer?”

“Answer?” Her confused amusement seemed to cause him some discomfort. The man must definitely be related to him, then. Chad was never one to care about the opinions of strangers.

“You know… When I asked you out? In that song…” His voice was small compared to his usual exuberance. 

_Oh honey…_

“Was that the song you wrote before or after banging Stacy in the stationary closet?” She had a cursor finger tapping at her bottom lip as though she wanted to bite the nail, eyes glancing up as if in thought. Still, she was as bright and sharp as she’d ever been in front of this man. Her answer was crushing, she knew, but she also knew it wasn’t just the words that hurt. It was the airy delivery that really nailed it in, revealing just how little he meant to her.

“W-well, I, uhh…” He dumbly floundered. The man in the boat burst out in a jubilant roar, hearty sounds infectious in nature that made even Taliah giggle in a practiced trill that seemed too light to call heartbreak. The man seemed to take pity on him, or maybe it was in support of Taliah’s attitude on the whole situation, starting the motor and moving from the island. Taliah wanted to label the man as the greatest person on earth when Chad lost his balance and ended up in the water. 

_God is real if he’s willing to do shit like this._

A quick glance at her watch revealed it was only a couple hours before nightfall. They’d be pushing it, but there was a chance of getting home just before nightfall. There was a hiking trail that was easy enough to find, lit by tourist maps and LED strips. Judging by the lack of hill this lookout had become, Taliah estimated that they’d get close enough to the base of the trail to walk along the Humanitarian Services road nearby to drop the paddleboards off. No way was she interested in lugging them up a mountain that went higher than the clouds.

“What was that about?”

Mikleo’s appearance jolted her out of her thoughts. It’d been a while since she’d had someone around to talk to; she was rusty. It took her a moment to figure out what Mikleo meant. 

“Humanitarian Services dropped by with our ticket out of here.” Her voice had gone back to its natural low hum, metallic eyes no longer harsh against the bleak background. She turned back to the hut, “I’m gonna go eat what’s left of the pie, then we need to go. Day’s almost over.”

Inside the hut, she ate the last three slices – Mikleo apparently _didn’t_ have a blackhole of a stomach – with as much haste as she could afford without risk of upchucking. She put the empty box in her carry bag, hanging it diagonally across her chest so she’d be able to work the paddle. Taliah only spared a brief second to sip some of her water, wanting to conserve as much as possible before getting to the hiking trail. A glance assured her that Mikleo hadn’t drunken more than a quarter of his jug. He should have enough, and if he didn’t, she’d just give him hers. 

Packing the last of the things up, she toted right out to Mikleo’s side. Taliah made sure to check that both boards had fins on the undersides and their ankle-straps were attached correctly before showing Mikleo how to use the boards.

“You should kneel instead of stand. I don’t want you falling in with that coat.” 

“Uh, alright. You’d know best, I guess.”

Afterwards, it was only a matter of demonstrating how to balance the paddle between strokes.

“How come you get to stand?”

“Because I’ve done this before. Besides, kneeling would be impossible with this thing,” Taliah gestured to the violin case at her back. Mikleo had to concede on that one.

It was decided that they’d have the jugs of water in front of them on the boards as they were too heavy to put behind them. Taliah had initial worries that the weight would cause the board to tip forward but was shortly proven wrong. A glance at her watch showed only an hour and thirty minutes before sunset. They were really cutting it close here. Hopefully the hike would warm them up.

“We don’t have a lot of time left before it gets dark. Try not to rush, though. Fishing you out would be hard and waste more time than just going slow,” Her words seemed harsh, but even she could tell the frost usually around her words was missing; she was still in a good mood over Chad being dumped in the water. 

“You say that, but aren’t you the one behind?” Mikleo shot her a cheeky grin. She didn’t even bother to hide her chuckle. 

“Only to keep an eye on you. I can’t believe you’ve never used one of these before,” Her tone stayed light. It really did feel like she was with Celestia again, bantering and fooling around like time could stand still for eternity and they’d hold on to forever if only to enjoy the moment. She wasn’t upset that her sister left. How could she? Her sister was with her soul mate, happy and free to do whatever she wanted. Taliah could only smile when she thought about it. 

“You know, I can’t really see your face up here, but I’m pretty sure you’re smiling,” The little shit had the gall to sound intellectual about it. She had her mouth open to respond but he beat her to it, “I like your smile. It’s nice.”

_If you get any sweeter, I think the whole world will turn into cotton candy._

Instead of saying that out loud, she chuckled.

“You know what else is nice?”

“Hmm?” He hummed absentmindedly.

“You drool in your sleep,” She held back a giggle at Mikleo’s spluttering, following with “it’s adorable.”

Mikleo couldn’t do much besides duck his head and keep paddling. She couldn’t see it, but Taliah was fairly sure the kid’s whole face was redder than a cherry. The thought brightened her spirits.

It only took another thirty minutes to paddle to an area between short treetops, buildings half-submerged in this area. 

“You see that orange building at the end of the road?” Taliah pointed out.

“You mean where the water stops?” Mikleo was quick to answer. Taliah nodded, despite Mikleo not seeing from his position.

“Yeah. That’s the one. We gotta drop these paddleboards there.”

“Alright. Sounds like a plan.”

They only had to paddle a few more metres before the water was too low to keep going. At Taliah’s instruction, they undid their ankle straps and made progress through shin-level water, tugging their boards by the straps. Someone from the building must’ve noticed them through the windows because a moment later a couple of athletic teenagers came out and relieved them of the boards. They only offered well wishes before huddling back indoors for warmth. The temperature felt near-freezing even an hour before sunset.

“Humanitarian Services, huh?” Mikleo seemed amused. Taliah gave him a tired grin. 

“They’re just kids. Probably don’t know how the system works, yet. Come on. The path starts at the end of this road.”

Sure enough, when they got to the end of the empty road, there was a set of wooden stairs leading up into thick foliage. It was a long way up the mountain.

“What’s this place called, anyways? It’s too far from Laketown to be part of the actual town…” Mikleo’s inquiry showed an inquisitive nature. It was a nice change to the blind faith he seemed to show her. 

“You’re right. This used to be part of the Light Air forest before industrialism cut it down. Now the forest itself starts at the base of this staircase,” she couldn’t help but tack on, “you might say it’s _uplifting_.”

It took a moment, but once he got the joke, Mikleo sent her a betrayed look. For all intents and purposes, he was fighting that laugh like a trooper. Taliah, on the other hand, didn’t conceal her mirth; laughing at her own joke as if it was the funniest thing on the planet. 

By the time the sun had officially set and the LED lights had blinked to life, they’d only made it a quarter of the way up the mountain. 

_This is why I take the train…_

Taliah could’ve cried when they finally reached one of the lookout points dotted around the mountain. Hard wooden and stone seats dotted the fenced-off area, but it was comfy to an ass that hadn’t rested in over an hour. 

“Woah, buddy. You alright, there?” Taliah had to grasp Mikleo by the shoulders and physically pull him in, leaning his back against her torso. Their seated position made it a little awkward but it looked like the kid hardly noticed. His head lolled to the crook of her neck, circlet gem pressing into her skin. Taliah was just glad the vision was a one-time deal. 

“Mikleo? You okay?” She lowered her voice into a comforting hum. She’d noticed him going quiet partway up the trail, but she hadn’t realised it was due to exhaustion. In retrospect, she probably should have. Mikleo only got better earlier that day and was still at risk of a relapse. 

The temperature had to be below freezing this far up. Even though they weren’t anywhere near above the clouds yet, they were still high enough for the air to feel incredibly thin. Taliah was torn between carrying Mikleo and pushing the rest of the journey or going to the next lookout point in hopes of finding one of the communication lines along the trail that connected to her family’s estate. Whichever relative thought living at the top of a goddamn mountain was a good idea had to have been pissing balls. 

_Mikleo isn’t answering, but it doesn’t look like he’s asleep. No fever, yet. Should I risk it?_

Looking down at their canteens proved they couldn’t stay here the night; there was barely any water left at the bottoms of each jug. Mikleo had run out of water partway up to the lookout and had run a hand over the lid, distraught when nothing happened. Taliah hadn’t had the heart to mention it, instead giving him her own jug. 

Taliah’s attention returned to Mikleo when he started to mutter. His words were intelligible, paired with a violent shiver every time a stray breeze blew past. He pressed himself closer into her, but in her thin overalls, Taliah wasn’t exactly an electric rug. 

_I’m gonna have to risk it. He needs help. I don’t think we’ll survive the night here._

That despairing thought fuelled her. It filled her veins with an icy flood far colder than any wind. She needed to get them out of there; there wasn’t any other option. With that in mind, she took off her violin case and carry bag without jostling Mikleo, placing them on the ground next to their bench. It was done with a practiced ease borne from years of pillowing her siblings whenever they fell asleep on her. 

Apparently shifting Mikleo into her arms bridal-style was enough to snap him out of his daydreams.

“W-wha…” His mumbling stopped, at least.

“It’s alright. Go back to sleep.” Taliah was too tired to send him off, knowing the dead weight wasn’t going to be fun. As it stood, though, he was unhealthily light for his height. It was like carrying a small water bottle stretched across both arms. Still, it was obvious she’d have trouble if he were to fall unconscious. She was a shut-in, not an athlete.

“I can walk,” his sass was only half-assed.

“I’ll put you down once we get closer to the next lookout. You’re not looking so hot, Snacks,” Taliah’s voice sounded puffed but she was blaming it on the lack of air. Either way, Mikleo seemed okay with this, going so far as to rest his head on her shoulder. Her lips quirked up. It took all leftover willpower not to tease him for his blind trust. She was glad she was the one being privileged and not someone who’d take advantage of this compliancy. 

_They would chew you up and spit you out, kid._

Her fierce determination was the only thing that kept her going. There were times when the steps seemed too high and she’d come close to tripping on the rough planks, but thankfully there seemed to be the same force that sometimes whispered to her watching over them. At times it felt like her foot was being nudged higher mid-step or her back was leaned into a more upright posture without her having to think about it. It was comforting; knowing someone was with them through this bullshit.

Her strength could only last so long, though, and soon she got a dizzy spell she couldn’t fight off in time to avoid swaying. That same presence nudged her, even partway up this flight of stairs, to lean her back against the railing. She tried to breathe through the nausea and light-headedness, finding it more difficult every step upward. They were only a few steps from the next lookout, too. 

“Taliah, put me down. I can walk,” Mikleo’s voice was a mere whisper to her frayed senses, but she knew he couldn’t have spoken fainter than a low hum. It took more effort than she was willing to admit, but she eventually helped him down from her arms so he was a couple steps above her. 

“The next lookout… it’s… just up there,” She pointed without looking, completely spent. The world seemed to tilt, a sudden feeling of weightlessness taking over her as the blood rushed to her head. Wiry arms coiled around her, holding her up from what was likely a painful fall. The familiar fabric of her coat brushed past her face. She gave in to the urge to press her face in its material. Taliah only opened her eyes once the dizziness faded, leaning back until her waist pressed against the railing.

“Are you okay?” Mikleo’s voice was pitifully small. It was like he’d never seen a human faint before.

“I am, now. Come on. The next lookout should have a comm line for us to use.”

Taliah waited for his arms to recede before marching the rest of the steps up. Sure enough, the lookout was only a dozen steps away, opening up into a wide boardwalk across jutting mountain crags. Nearest to the stairs they’d just come from was a neon orange box with black buttons labelled different emergency lines depending on the circumstance. Taliah ignored these buttons, instead pressed the bright red button at the bottom of the set. A buzzing filled the air making Mikleo jump. After a moment, a female voice called out.

“Hello? You’ve called the Tenreau Estate. What’s your emergency?” 

_Mom…_

“Hey, mom. You mind picking us up? We’re stuck on lookout point two,” She tried to keep her voice even but couldn’t hide the crack when she said _mom_. They’d had a stupid fight the day before the flood, but right now that didn’t matter. Taliah just wanted a hug; it’s been rough. 

“Taliah?! Oh, jeez. I thought you were just avoiding me! Why didn’t you call or text someone? We would’ve picked you up from school! I heard about the train being delayed from the flood.” 

Taliah actually laughed.

_She always babbles when she’s stressed._

“Phone’s dead. So? You gonna send someone down to get us? I’m too tired to walk the rest of the way,” Taliah noticed that her mom wasn’t gonna comment on the ‘we’ business, probably too in shock about her baby actually being caught up in the flood. Whatever works, she guessed. 

“I’ll send your uncles. They’ll come with the lift. Are you hungry? Do you want me to make you soup?” 

“Mom, you’re embarrassing me!” She put a hand up to cover her eyes, not willing to look at Mikleo’s expression. Still, her mom kept going as if she hadn’t responded at all.

“Alright, my little sweet treat, soup it is. I’ll bake you a tea-cake too to warm you right up. I love you!”

“Love you too, mom,” She smiled. It wasn’t often that her mom said she loved her first. She shook her head when the line cut out. Honestly, her mom was such an airhead. 

_Her element is supposed to be water._

“She seems nice,” Mikleo intoned. Taliah chuckled.

“That’s just because she feels guilty. Trust me, as soon as she sees you, you’re gonna see her mean side,” She warned, knowing her mother’s view on strangers, and men at that. Divorce didn’t do favours for her opinion of them… “I’m gonna have to fight tooth and nail for her to let you stay.”

“You don’t have to help me if it’s just gonna inconvenience you. I can go. You don’t have to get into trouble,” He inched toward the staircase leading down, only stopping when Taliah hooked an arm around his shoulders and leaned her weight into him.

“Nope, you’re not going anywhere. Mom might be the technical head of the estate, but I’m her heiress. And I also have favour of the previous head, my grandmother. Mom listens to grandmother. And if she doesn’t, then my grandfather won’t let you be kicked out in the cold,” She guided them to the nearest wooden bench, “Mom’s just salty because her ex-husband was an asshole. Don’t take her hostility to heart.”

“… You’re too kind, Taliah. Pretty sure there are people who would take advantage of that,” He leaned into her side. The contact warmed her enough to ignore the biting cold. 

“Pretty sure that’s all you, Snacks,” She smiled, “you’re way too trusting for your own good.”

Mikleo only chuckled. Silence washed over them as they waited. There were faint sounds from the greenery hinting at animal life, but for the most part all was still. It was peaceful. If she’d dozed into a light slumber while waiting, there was none the wiser. The air was clear, light and free up here, winds singing the song of freedom. 

_Maybe that’s why we live here._


	4. The Plot Thickens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikleo.

Mikleo was surprised when some sort of metal beast creaked down a strange barred path through the trees. It came down from the summit, emitting a piercing light upon the lookout. The air froze in his lungs; he didn’t sense any malevolence from this creature, but there wasn’t any sense of life from it either. 

_I hope it doesn’t try to eat us_ , he thought, earning himself an unladylike snort from his companion. He glared at her for her insensitivity. _Not all of us grew up around soulless beasts_ , he mentally defended. 

“You’re just a baby,” Taliah sniggered. She stood from the bench when the animal halted at the base of the lookout but waited until its maw opened to walk forward, light spilling from the orifice shining around her like a halo. Mikleo felt his best bet was to stick close to the person who’d shown him kindness so far, even if _she was going straight into that thing’s mouth—_

“You both look like popsicles,” A young man poked his head out the door. He blinked at the duo, taking in their rumpled appearances, “not the tasty kind, either.” Taliah rolled her eyes at his remarks. 

“If you don’t have sweets in there, don’t talk to me.” Her words were blatant, holding no aggressiveness or irritation, yet it was obvious she was feeling it in the way she pointedly breezed past the newcomer. He seemed used to this.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head. We got the good stuff,” Another man looking identical to the one by the door held out a tray with several mugs of what looked like steaming chocolate pudding. A bottle of milk was beside the mugs, sitting snug with a few empty glasses. 

Mikleo didn’t walk past the doorway. His hesitation was noticed by the first man, who held out a blue-gloved hand. “Name’s Bobbie. M’brother’s Jakob, Jake for short. Are you planning on joining us in our bubble of love?”

Mikleo was confused but shook his hand anyways. “I’m Mikleo…” _And… what’s a ‘bubble of love’?_

“He’s asking if you’re planning on coming in,” Taliah seemed to take pity on him, coming over with a mug of steaming pudding and pulling him in. The entrance slid shut behind him without a seam. The prickling feeling of being trapped crawled along his spine. He was promptly nudged to a set of nearby benches that served as beds, if the mounds of soft down pillows were any indication. His borrowed coat was unbuttoned and unzipped, deftly stripped from him. Instead of feeling a sudden chill, the air was warm and blew from several vents in the floor. 

It was nice.

“We’ll be in here a while. Our bodies aren’t used to the altitudes and going up too fast could land us with altitude sickness,” She explained quietly, bringing a blanket seemingly from thin air before settling it around Mikleo’s shoulders. He clutched the material on reflex before it could fall off. 

“Altitude sickness?” he couldn’t say he’d heard the term before, being raised in Elysia his whole life. 

“Go up too fast and your brain turns to mush,” Jake’s red-gloved hand offered him a glass of warm milk, its speaker giving him a cheerful grin. It was… disconcerting.

“M-mush?!”

“Oh, _yeah_. Practically _bleeds_ out of your _ears_ ,” Bobbie pulled at his ears with blue-gloved hands in demonstration. Mikleo could feel his heart beating heavily in his chest. He’d never heard of this supposed illness, even living on Elysia’s summit. Was Sorey ever afflicted by it? Could it be treated? 

_Is the reason it turns the brain to mush so it wouldn’t be treated?!_

Mikleo’s mental rambling was halted when pleasantly cool hands covered his ears. They were soft…

“Don’t listen to them. They’re just messing with you. The most the illness does is cause temporary discomfort. The worst case scenario is if someone got into a coma and died, but that hasn’t happened in a few decades.” Taliah’s words were reprimanding, probably a reminder to the two men – presumably the uncles her mother spoke of – as well as to remind Mikleo to breathe. 

The sharp pangs rattling his ribs slowly abated, leaving a dull ache from the sudden pressure. A wash of safety fell over him which helped him to relax. With a clear mind came the need to explore. Seeming to sense this, Taliah let her hands fall away. Her uncles were still chuckling on the bench across from them, and when Mikleo looked at an almost-reflective window, he noticed the scenery outside moving. 

He blinked.

“How does this thing work?” He had to ask. It was only now he was realising that this was nothing more than a creation of human-born ingenuity. He noted that the air he breathed was dry – much drier than what he remembered from out on the lookout point – and that the warmth had to include both a heating element and a means of keeping said heating element from overheating and affecting every other aspect of this contraption. That wasn’t even including the intricate patterns flashing across framed black panels barring a majority of the contraption’s inner surfaces, nor the soft calming music humming through various points in the room. 

_I never knew humans could be this advanced._

“It’s a bad idea to ask these guys. They don’t know shit,” Taliah was the first to answer, easily overriding whatever the disappointed men were planning on saying. “I’ll give you some of the earlier blueprints to this thing when we get to my rooms. I designed them, so I’ll answer any questions you have,” at Mikleo’s look of complete interest, she handed him the pudding she was still holding. It was cooled just enough that it wouldn’t scorch his mouth but still warmed him from the inside. “Later, though. It’s easier to show a person this baby’s function than just talk about it.” She patted the bench almost fondly. Mikleo smiled in agreement. 

_Some designs were better practiced than preached, after-all. I can’t wait to see if the functions are completely automated or have a manual feature installed._

“I didn’t know we picked up another nerd,” Bobby said, blue gloves reaching up as if to stave off a painful headache. His brother nodded empathetically, sipping warm milk that seemed to reflect the red of his gloves.

“It’s a shame. I really thought we’d have another delinquent to murder.” Jake sounded as serious as his brother. Travelling with Edna for so long enabled Mikleo to see when he was being played. 

Sort of. 

_Maybe._

“I want more pudding,” Taliah pouted, reaching an arm out and motioning like a grabbing babe. Her request was met with equal seriousness, but with the reward of her warm chocolate pudding. She huddled close to Milkeo, content to curl up as she was. Her head rested on his shoulder between sips. It felt like she was nuzzling into the cloth a couple of times, but a glance told him that her face was probably still numb from the cold. 

“How long until we get to your estate?” Mikleo asked. He was curious how long he’d be spending in these quarters. The men seemed to take extreme offence to this.

“He’s already trying to get rid of us!” Jake was the picture of incense, his brother not too far off. 

“I knew we shouldn’t have come down here. They’re always plotting to kill you,” Bobby hissed vehemently. Taliah had the gall to laugh mid-sip. She was controlled about it, not letting a single bit of pudding spray out. She calmed down after swallowing properly.

“You guys think this kitten could kill you? I didn’t know you guys were pussies,” She laughed at their mock outrage. “Mikleo, meet the drama kings of the family. They’re great entertainment.”

“Big sis said we were only picking you up,” Bobby flicked a piece of short dark har.

“Not your new toy,” Jake finished flawlessly. Their voices were uncannily identical. Their eyes were as metallic as Taliah’s but nowhere near as piercing. They glittered with mirth. Mikleo wasn’t amused.

“ _I’m not a toy_!”

“ _He’s not a toy…_ ”

Taliah and Mikleo contested in tandem. Unlike Mikleo’s own earnest offence, Taliah seemed lazily content to stay curled in his side. She didn’t rise to the bait, even just a little. It was like this new direction in conversation bored her. Her eyes were half-lidded, probably sinking down into the light doze she’d fallen into earlier.

“You guys didn’t answer the question. Will we get home tonight? Mom was gonna make a cake,” Taliah hummed. By now, her mug of pudding was empty and resting in her lap, pleasant warmth seeping from it and through Mikleo’s blanket. The shared heat was achingly familiar to simpler times…

_Sorey…_

His eyes were pulled up from his lap when the twins stood proud and tall in front of them. 

“We’ll be home—” Bobby cut off mid-way.

“In about –” Jake seamlessly continued.

“Three hours—” Their voices were identical in pitch and tone.

“Give or take –” This was giving Mikleo a headache…

“Depending on your—” Only the gloves they wore helped tell them apart anymore.

“Buddy’s adjustment –” Jake and Bobby both looked directly at Mikleo.

“ _To the altitude._ ” Their confusing back-and-forth ended in synchronisation. It befuddled Mikleo, who gave up switching his attention between twins mid-way and instead watched both at the same time. It took him a moment after that to process exactly what was said. 

“Three hours?” He wanted to confirm.

“Give or take.” Bobby nodded sagely. 

“It really depends on you, kiddo.” Jake was at least optimistic…

“Mom’s great with doling out punishment, isn’t she?” Taliah’s voice hummed dryly. The twins returned to their visage of outrage.

“What a petulant little girl,” Bobby was quick to jump on.

“Yes, brother-dear. She needs more pudding.” Jake held out a mug. She held up a hand, declining the mug. 

“I want milk. Then, bed. I’m tired.” Her voice sounded so close to Edna’s in that moment, a pang hit his heart. He didn’t realise until now how much he missed the aggravating earth Seraph. She’d become a stable force in his life since Sorey…

Something must have showed on his face because suddenly there was a jabbing sensation at his covered arm. He looked down at Taliah.

“You okay?” She asked lowly. Her voice didn’t sound like Edna’s anymore, instead returning to its usual hum. Her expression was soft, also a complete flip from the earth Seraph’s. He nodded, not wanting to make a scene. She didn’t seem convinced but let it slide. “Okay.” 

“Sorry to break it to you, sugar cube,” Jake came back from one of the shelves at the other side of the room, “we’re out of milk.”

“The horror!” Bobby gasped tearfully. Taliah flopped backwards onto the wide bench. The sudden shift of weight nearly threw Mikleo off the bench.

“You’re all heathens,” she hissed, “every one of you.”

A glance behind him revealed his companion was staring up at the ceiling with a bored faraway expression. There wasn’t even a hint of the hostility she’d uttered. 

_It’s hard to get a read…_

“Do you need one?” One of the twins, Bobby, piped up. Mikleo was confused.

_What—_

“We have plenty of books in one of these cupboards. Not sure if you’d like them, though.” Jake’s expression was nothing by thoughtful. 

_How come –_

“We can hear your thoughts?” Bobby looked up from a closet in the side of the room. A pile of books laid beside him. Mikleo nodded.

“ ** _We just can_** ” Came an oddly-echoed response. Mikleo blinked, fighting back an instinctive shiver. All three family members – Taliah, Bobby, Jake – had responded in sync, their voices blending together in a synchronous mix dipped in otherworldly power. A glance down revealed Taliah looking directly at him with her piercing metallic eyes. Mikleo couldn’t help the spike of fear that shot through him. He didn’t know why it took him this long to figure it out.

“You’re not human. None of you are.”

He’d thought at first that Taliah was a Seraph, probably of the Earth variety, with her quick tongue and stable countenance. Interactions with other humans seemed to disprove that theory, unless they all had high resonance. But that hadn’t seemed to be the case when that Chad guy had come by with that older man, though. They’d either ignored him completely or hadn’t had the resonance to see him, even when he’d completely come out of the hut. 

That didn’t change the chilling look Taliah was quite clearly giving him.

“It’s all relative,” She acquiesced, comforting hum nowhere to be found.

“We could be,” Bobby was quick to encourage. 

“If we tried,” Jake tacked on, tapping his chin with a curled knuckle. 

_What’s that supposed to mean?_

“Nothing.” Taliah’s curt tone startled him. “It means nothing.”

She sat up. Her uncles took the cue to momentarily leave them be, both now going through the books in the side cupboard. Taliah’s hand on his chin brought his face over to meet her eye-to-eye.

“Don’t take what they say to heart, Mikleo. We are what we are; nothing more, nothing less,” Her tone was warmer than before, but still held a bite. Reflective eyes bore deep into his own. He could see his own fear shining back at him. Beyond that, Taliah’s eyes were hard as stone. “I’ve already promised to help you, but I can’t help you if you dive into certain matters. Try to keep your thoughts quiet and to yourself. Not everyone will be willing to let your ignorance slide.”

Mikleo could only nod. He understood his position; he was at the mercy of Taliah and her family. While he trusted Taliah not to abuse this trust – she’d done nothing but help him in spite of her own afflictions – he didn’t know the rest of her family, nor did he know what they were capable of. He had to be cautious. He couldn’t afford to open himself up to complete strangers.

Not even to the boisterous twins at the other side of the room.

Now that he knew Taliah could see into his mind, he noticed the moment she found an inkling of understanding peak from the corners of his thoughts. She nodded, letting him go. Her eyes lost their intensity. Now that she wasn’t taking care of him or stopping him from diving into an unclimbable cavern of poisonous knowledge, he could see that she really was tired. He remembered that she’d coughed up blood earlier that day…

“Are _you_ alright?” He asked, thinking intently about the harsh coughing fit he’d witnessed. She nodded, looking for all the world like she was telling the complete truth.

“I was being an idiot and suffered the consequences for it. It’s fine now.”

Mikleo was curious about what could’ve caused such a reaction but knew Taliah would tell him if it was necessary. She hadn’t held back from important information thus far. Not that he was aware of, at least…

“Don’t overthink it. You’re right; I won’t lie to save my own skin,” She nudged him. He didn’t know why but for some reason he felt like she was telling the truth. He nodded.

“I’ll take your word for it, then.”

“Will you take these knowledge-filled tomes too?” Jake had come back, bearing a stack of thick textbooks in his trembling red-gloved hands. Mikleo was intrigued.

“There’s so many!” He couldn’t help but exclaim, garnering a worried frown from his companion.

“There’s, like, ten,” She deemed it important to point out. Mikleo nodded, an excited glimmer making his eyes downright sparkle.

“The last time I’d seen near as many books was when my friends and I visited cities!”

“You’re going to have a heart attack when you see big sis’ library, then.” Bobby said it so factually. Taliah rolled her eyes.

“I was gonna show him,” She complained. “You’ve ruined everything.”

“My dear niece, I’ve simply opened his eyes to the possibilities.” Bobby nodded his head in satisfaction, a hard day’s work done. Jake set the books by Mikleo, who scanned each title before picking out one that read _Empires of the World: Past and Present_. Opening the cover revealed it was printed only a few years before. 

“I think I got that as a birthday present before it was officially published,” Taliah mused, “my mom’s friends with the writer.”

Mikleo nodded, eagerly soaking up as much information as his eyes could take in from just the introduction page. Already, he could see that this book was well-loved; the pages were crumpled around the edges from being turned so many times, some were dog-eared at the corners and others had tabs sticking out from the sides to mark down important areas and hand-written notes. What’s more, the spine was close to snapping. Mikleo could practically feel the love this book has received since coming into Taliah’s care.

“Guess the little guy’s off to nerd-land.” The hopelessly wistful inflection let Mikleo know it was Bobby. His brother must’ve sighed, as it came from a different area.

“Aaaaaaand there goes Taliah. Guess we’re left to our own devices, brother.” Jake was ever the optimist, his tone indicating this as commonplace when in Taliah’s presence.

“Yeah…”

Mikleo tuned them out. A weight at his back told him that Taliah was using him as a leaning post, but when he leaned back, he found that they balanced out pretty well. It was comfortable for reading. 

He looked through the ‘ _Contents Page_ ’, seeing the names of different empires scrawled in neat tiny writing. It couldn’t have been done by hand.

_The technology has seemed so advanced up until now. I don’t doubt humans would make an easier way to write books._

His eyes stilled on one of the middle chapters.

_The rise and fall of chaos… That seems familiar…_

A coil of dread formed in his gut. It was almost enough to make him regret eating that pudding. He opened the page indicated and was met with various hand-drawn and intricately-inked maps. The pages of this chapter were more thoroughly tabbed than the rest of the book combined, and the handwritten notes seemed to be incredibly detailed given the small spaces provided.

_Hyland and Rolance combined shortly after the end of widespread calamity, creating the Kingdom of Camelot._

_Alisha… Your dream really did come true…_

A sharp pain lanced through his chest, directly into his heart. It hurt to know that only a few days ago, he’d seen the blonde girl weathering peace treaties and political travesties, but according to this book, those heated talks and discussions had occurred over a millennia ago. By all accounts, she was…

_No, there’s got to be more to this. Symonne doesn’t have a temporal affinity._

He didn’t know if that was completely true but it was all the hope he had left; small and feeble, dying in washed-out embers.

“Wanna know something cool?” Taliah’s soft voice caught his attention. He let his head fall back against hers to indicate he was listening. “The lake in Laketown actually doesn’t flood that often. There’s a legend around it, actually.”

_There always is_. Mikleo could’ve smiled.

“They say that Viviane, the Enchantress from Arthurian legends, died there and trapped both the souls of herself and her significant other, the wizard Merlin, within a stone at the bottom of the lake. Thus, the label ' _Lady of the Lake_ '. Some say the lake only floods when they have a lovers' spat within their prison.” Taliah was leaving something out.

“You know the real reason, don’t you?” Mikleo blurted before he could stop himself. His heart beat quickened with anticipation, toes curling at uncovering yet another mystery. Taliah was more than happy to oblige. 

“The last time the lake flooded was fifty years ago,” Her voice was nothing more than a whisper in his ear, as if divulging secrets darker than the deepest cave. “A man was fished out of the lake, with the ability to converse with the dead.”

At that, she leaned away, going back to her reclining position against Mikleo’s back. His mind whirred with new possibilities, thoughts cropping up and fading as fast as a river stream. There was something different about it, though. It was like his mind was muted; head sunk deep underwater. He tried to focus but it only made it worse. Eventually his mind felt completely empty. He twisted around, seeing Taliah already looking at him. Despite his thoughts fleeing his mind, he knew what he wanted to ask.

“Do you know this man? Is he still alive?”

It seemed to be the right questions, with how her lips tilted up in the faintest ghosts of a smile.

“You’ll meet him, yourself. I’m not allowed to say too much just yet, but I don’t want you thinking that history book directly impacts you. The lake has no temporal residues and I doubt it ever will.”

Mikleo found relief in her words, letting his shoulders sag after countless minutes of hidden grief. The pain in his heart eased to a more manageable level. He turned his head to utter his thanks but noticed that Taliah had long-since returned to her book and seemed rather engrossed, if her page-turning and concentrated look was anything to go by. Mikleo smirked. He decided that he may as well continue reading, himself. 

As he lazily perused the chapter, he noticed that there wasn’t a single mention of any shepherds, and that the only talk of Seraphim and Malakhim was brief mentions of uncovered hidden journals and artefacts found in the Hyland queen’s possession shortly before the unison of the two countries. Diaries of the queen’s closest servants revealed she’d wished to preserve them, believing fully in the existence of such supernatural beings. There were others in this time who believed as such, but they were few and far in-between, not even the church clergies being among these ranks.

He’d gotten to the last page of the chapter, finding nothing but a letter stuck between the pages. It was addressed to Taliah. He averted his eyes, not wishing to delve into such a private matter.

_I hope she doesn’t get offended._

“You can read it,” She allowed without turning from her book. She turned a page. “I don’t mind. Honest.”

Mikleo still had some reservations about reading other people’s mail, but figured it wasn’t too personal if she was okay with letting a stranger have his way with it.

“Not a stranger anymore, but sure. Let’s go with that.” Sarcasm seemed to match her perfectly. Mikleo wasn’t surprised. He rolled his eyes, letting them settle on the handwritten words curling elegantly on aged parchment. 

_Whoever wrote this must have a love for the theatrics._

Taliah snorted but gave no input, content to simply let him be.

_My dearest Taliah,_

_My, how you’ve grown. Your mother sent me a photograph of your 18th birthday, and might I say, you looked every bit the woman I knew you’d become. Yes, I know you’re still but a child. You’d do well to remember that. I understand the pressures you must be facing in this time and age, but never forget to have fun. I know you still have that playset I gave you two years ago. I hope you appreciate the additions I sent with this letter._

_I remember when you were just a little girl. Barely 12 years old with a wit unlike any other. I could instantly see why your mother sent you my way, even if you complained constantly. Exploring ruins isn’t exactly for little girls adept in the ways of tea and wordplay. I can confidently say I saved us both pain by introducing you to coffee. I hear you’ve created your own blend, importing from as far as Turkey. This marks my proudest moment._

_I was privileged to know you then, and I’m blessed to stay within your orbit now. I’m glad you’ve kept with your studies. Your abilities don’t connect with the elements like your predecessors. My only regret is not being able to do more for you. I remember fondly our time spent together. I will always cherish those years you were under my care, your opinion and incredible eyesight keeping our research objective and, admittedly, far more legible than if I were to do it alone._

_I am proud of you, child. I bear no children of my own, as such I do not know if what I am feeling is fatherly attachment or that of an uncle, or a cousin. In any case, I hope you take these words to heart. You truly are the brightest star I have ever met. I’m sure not even the Malakhim of old, nor a Seraph under oath, could ever hope to compete._

_With fond memories,_  
_Mayvin_

_Mayvin…_

“You finished?” Taliah’s voice startled him from his thoughts. He looked up, finally noticing that the room was still, the window revealing an enclosed room filled with multiple other shuttles. He blinked.

“Uh…”

“Perfect.” She placed a scrap of embroidered cloth between the pages Mikleo was reading, promptly shutting it closed. She picked it up in her arms, bundled safely within her coat. Looking around revealed the other books had been packed away and the blanket and mugs had also been moved. He stood. 

“I take it we’re here?” He asked, receiving a nod in response. 

“Alright, children!” Bobbie bounded over, looking like an excited puppy. 

“Time to go,” Jake said from further away. He fiddled with some buttons on a wall which triggered the pod’s entrance to reveal itself. With the way exposed, the twins wasted no time exiting the enclosed space. Taliah walked in front of him, inclining her head as a cue to follow. He complied.

There was no hesitation at the entrance this time. His mind still circled around what he’d learned from Taliah’s book. Some of the pieces began to click into place, but he didn’t dare think them in any legible order. Taliah’s warning played faintly like a hum in the wind. 

_Not everyone will be willing to let your ignorance slide… I wonder what she meant by that._

Seeing Taliah jerk her head in his direction made him rethink that.

_On second thought, never mind. Not every mystery is meant to be solved._

That seemed to be right, with how she let her head turn forward. He sighed. Keeping his thoughts to himself was going to be harder than he’d thought. Mikleo hoped he’d be able to come into contact with some parchment and ink soon, so he could at least put his musings down without fear of eavesdroppers. 

He made a mental note to ask Taliah about that later.


	5. It's not a Phase, Mom, It's who I Am

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taliah.

In the walk between the transit room and the private kitchens, Taliah thought of what she’d say to her mother. Ideas were bouncing back and forth, never staying in one place long enough to fully consider. Bobby and Jake had left her to deal with her mother alone, with no one but Mikleo to use as a meat shield. 

Taliah was suddenly very grateful Mikleo couldn’t hear her thoughts. 

She’d tried to suppress some of his more dangerous thoughts in the shuttle, to see if it could be done. It would be more useful if it weren’t so draining, but at least it was enough that her siblings’ budding abilities didn’t pick up on them. They still didn’t know half the secrets this family kept…

There was something about Mikleo that reminded her of grandfather. Aside from their similar beginnings in this world, there was a strong energy all the elementals in the family seemed to possess, of which Mikleo practically shone. 

_It’s kind of like whenever mom uses her cleansing waters…_

Her feet stopped her just before the private kitchens’ door. A lump formed in her throat. She was admittedly nervous; remembering the words she and her mother had thrown at each other never did her any favours. It took a steadying breath and Mikleo’s hand on her shoulder to grant her the courage to move forward, jarring his hand before he could ask what was wrong.

_Nothing is wrong. Not yet, anyway._

“Honey! I’m home,” Taliah called into the rather crowded kitchens, entirely blasé. She motioned with her hand for Mikleo to follow. She was quick to find him a chair at the serving table, instantly gaining the attention of all those present.

“Oh hey, you’re back,” Her youngest sister droned, a voice near identical to her own. If it weren’t for the different coloured eyes, many people wouldn’t be able to tell them apart, with them looking like a mirror image of each other. Nobody would’ve guessed Taliah was four years senior. 

“Not one for drowning?” Her elder brother chimed from his place on the other side of he table. Taliah flipped him the bird on impulse.

“Fuck you, dude. I’m fabulous.”

“Women are the epitome of pure femininity and grace. Somehow, I feel you are lacking, dear niece.” Mom’s eldest brother, Zack, tried to reprimand. Taliah was sure it would’ve had more effect if he wasn’t stoned out of his mind. She rolled her eyes.

_It’s always the philosophers._

“ _My darling granddaughter. It is good to see you well, child_.” Grandmother was nice enough to come in for a hug, uttering the foreign dialect as easily as drinking water. She patted Taliah’s hair and watched the curls that stuck out spring back into place. 

“ _Hello, grandmother. I’m sorry I didn’t see you last night. I was otherwise engaged_ ,” Taliah still felt immensely guilty. Her dialect wasn’t as smooth, but it seemed to be acceptable, if her grandmother was willing to let it slide so easily. 

“ _Nonsense, child. Tell me, who is the guest you’ve brought with you? He reminds me of your grandfather_.” 

_So she noticed it too…_

Her grandmother didn’t have the same ability to hear thoughts, so Taliah didn’t try to temper her mind when in her presence. The golden rule when with grandmother was simple: don’t peek. She might not be able to read you thoughts but she could easily pick up when others were reading her own. 

“ _This is Mikleo, grandmother. He was with me in the flood. Good company_.” When Taliah uttered his name, Mikleo’s head jerked up, crystalline eyes wide as his unease grew. She decided to take pity on him.

“Mikleo, this is my grandmother. Grandmother, this is Mikleo.” She let the two shake hands before introducing him to the rest of the people in the room. “That’s my baby sister over there. Call her ‘Amelia’. She’s a baby because _she’s younger than me_ —” She was interrupted by a cheeky ‘ _no I’m not!_ ’ “— and that’s my brother, Connor. Philosopher to your right is Zack. Feel free to forget these assholes’ names. They suck.” Her words were met with eyerolls and half-hearted chuckles. It was fine. Those three didn’t care if she lived or died, and frankly, she extended the same curtesy. 

Seriously. Fuck those guys.

“You have to be polite to grandmother, though. She’s awesome.” She added as a sidenote, making sure Mikleo nodded to show his understanding before looking at grandmother.

“ _Where is mom? She said she’d be waiting_ ,” Her question was answered only a second later, when her mother and another uncle, Diggory, came in carrying two trays each full of various sweets. Diggory was a married man, whose wife was nothing more than a trophy. Diggory was also a certifiable dick. 

“You’re here! Yeeeees!” Her mother cheered, almost jumping up and down if it weren’t for the trays in her arms. Taliah let out a snort. 

“Yup. I’m here.” Her words earned her a pout.

“Awe, you gotta put more effort into it. I made you sweets!”

Taliah rolled her eyes. She waited until the trays were on the table before sitting next to Mikleo, making sure that he wasn’t too crushed in with all the people in the room. At the moment, he seemed fine. 

“The guy’s Diggory. Don’t bother with him. He’s an ass” That earned her the stink-eye from said ass. It also earned her mother’s attention. 

_Joy…_

“Oh man, you brought someone! Taliah!” Her mother whined, “I thought I told you not to bring people up here!” 

Talaih heard Mikleo’s self-doubt and uncomfortable thoughts. She wasn’t impressed.

“Mom, no. I can bring who I want up here, especially if they need help. Remember the family motto?”

“ _ **Anyone asking for asylum shan’t be turned away, but instead welcomed with open arms**_.” The family members in the room chimed with practiced ease. Taliah nodded, pleased at having made her point. Her mother pouted but didn’t fuss anymore.

“Well, if he’s going to stay, then you have to try this cake I made. It’s a new recipe.” Her mother was never really good at blackmail…

That was when Taliah remembered something important.

“Hey, mom? Did you forget to throw out my old pyjamas and hand-me-downs?”

_Please say ‘yes’. Please say ‘yes’. Please say ‘yes’. Please say ‘yes’—_

“Ugh, yes. I can’t believe this. You didn’t remind me yesterday!” 

Taliah stared at her mother with an even expression. It took a minute, but she got the hint.

“Oh! Right, sorry. You weren’t here.” At least mom had the decency to sheepishly chuckle at her own air-headedness. Taliah sighed. 

_At least the clothes are still there. I hope Mikleo will be able to fit them._

“Oh, right. Taliah, when do you think you’ll grow out of this phase of picking up strays? The second floor botanical gardens are filled to the brim, darling.” Mom actually had the nerve to say.

_Did she—Did she just—_

“Moooom!” Taliah all but whined, “It’s not a _phase_! This is who I _am_!” It took her a moment of staring intently at her mother to realise what she’d just said. She hid her face in her hands. “I can’t believe you just made me say that…” Her mumbles were filled with nothing short of embarrassment. Her family chuckled at her expense. Thankfully, Mikleo didn’t seem to understand the reference.

_That’s one less person to worry about._

While the conversation eased up a bit, Taliah felt her grandfather’s presence fill the room. It was soft and warm and bright, filling every crevice of the enclosed space with safety and love. Taliah relaxed into the energy’s embrace.

“ _You… are… angel…_ ” She heard him utter in the ancient dialect. She turned her head to see grandfather staring intently at mikleo’s face, caught between aging hands. Mikleo’s fists were curled on his knees, unsure if he were in danger or not. Taliah frowned.

“He says you’re an angel,” Her words brought a flood of red against snow white skin. 

“W-what?!”

“ _You stay here. We take care of you. Family_.” Her grandfather’s words were broken, even in the ancient dialect. It was like he wasn’t used to using a human mouth to convey his intentions.

“He says you can stay and that we’ll take care of you. Calls you family.” She dutifully translated. The red faded from Mikleo’s face as it was released from weathered hands. If anything, he looked incredibly confused. His mind was relatively quiet even without her influence. She was grateful; the two people she didn’t want in on the family’s secrets were sitting right across from them. They were the reason she needed to be shipped off to Mayvin in the first place.

“Looks like grandfather’s getting old. He should probably start taking fish capsules, huh…” Amelia, with all her sass and self-acclaimed intelligence, was dense in all the ways that truly mattered. 

“He’ll need therapy from questioning where he went wrong raising you,” Taliah poked. When it was apparent that Mikleo wasn’t touching any of the food on the trays, nor would he be looking up from his hands situated in his lap, she decided it was probably time for bed. She stood up, noticing with no small amount of amusement that Mikleo was quick to follow suit. A quick wave was directed at the room full of (mostly) assholes.

“We’re calling it a night. Pretty sure it’s late. Bye.” She didn’t look back. 

Only stopping a ways out of the kitchen, Taliah turned to face Mikleo, who’d only just managed to stop walking before bodily slamming into her. He took a step back, a bright blush on his face. 

“S-sorry. My bad.” His apologies weren’t her highest priority.

“We’ll head over to my rooms, now. How do you feel about washing up?” She had to know if she’d need to help him at the very least clean his hair. There was _no way_ she was letting him touch her Egyptian cotton blend pillows and bedsheets with filthy hair. Not in this lifetime and certainly not the next. 

Mikleo didn’t think too much of the question, shrugging as though the thought hadn’t occurred to him.

“I should be fine. We did technically rest on the way up here.” He wasn’t wrong. Still, she kept close to him as she led the way to her side of the manor. It spanned the entire mountain top, so it took nearly an hour to reach their destination. By the end of it, Mikleo was swaying between steps, looking like he just had his first beer. Taliah grimaced but didn’t comment. It seemed like she’d have to help after all. The staff were all in bed by now, and she didn’t have the heart to wake them up for this. Besides, strangers would probably freak him out even more.

_Just imagine you’re helping Amelia bathe. Remember when she couldn’t move after falling out of one of the upper windows five years ago? That was fun. She didn’t try to kill me for over a month._

Cynicism was her go-to, but really wasn’t cutting it at this point. After getting a few freshly laundered towels out of her bathroom corridor’s closets, she led the way to the unnecessarily oversized bathroom, letting Mikleo in before closing the door behind her. The doors to her quarters were locked and bolted ( _thank you, self-preservation instincts_ ) and there wouldn’t be any intruders this late at night, but it was always easier to keep the steam in if there weren’t too many open areas. 

A flick of a few switches near the door had the ventilation system on auto, the lights already set before she’d left for school. They were soft on the eyes, as far as bathroom lights could go. With lighting and ventilation sorted, she turned to Mikleo. Her body moved on instinct, arms reaching out to catch the falling body before it hit the ground. 

“Figures,” She _tsked_ half-heartedly, not bothered by their positions in the slightest. Mikleo had all but fallen in on himself, knees buckled under a lithe body. His arms were limp against her body whilst his head was cradled just above her bosom. 

She may have been exhausted beyond the human definitions of the word but she ignored her own body’s cry for rest as she repositioned him in her arms and carried him bridal-style to one of the nearby spa chaise lounges. There were enough lounges to seat herself and three other people, had she been one for accumulating friends. With Mikleo’s body flaccid against the waterproof material, Taliah figured she might as well get the bath running.

Before even contemplating the agonising task of balancing all twenty-eight nozzles into the perfect temperature of water to amount of soap ratio, she stripped herself of her coat and outer clothes, leaving herself in nothing but her sports bra and underwear. It was a lot easier to work the tub when she wasn’t bogged down by excessive layers. 

She started by working all the warmer taps, going so far as to test every ten seconds until the water was too hot to safely touch. Then, she eased on the cooler taps. By now only a quarter of the inbuilt ground-level bath had been filled. Taliah waited until the spa nozzles marking the half-way mark had been completely covered before bothering to look for her favourite soaps. 

She found them quickly enough; she didn’t use the tub as often as the shower, but it was enough so that the soaps were where she remembered leaving them: in a dry hidden compartment that popped out by the tub’s steps. Taliah was adamant about putting a little of each scented soap into the water, watching as bubbles formed onto the surface and warm floral fragrances floated up from the deluge. 

_Lavender, rose, lemongrass… Mmmmm. Already feeling better._

Mikleo seemed to be sharing the sentiments. When the water had finished filling the tub and Taliah had seen to turning off each tap, he stirred from his faint. By now, the room was warmed by gentle steam which clung to the skin.

“Mhh…” His eyes weakly opened into a wince, as if his vision wasn’t exactly agreeing with him. Now done with setting up the tub, Taliah made her way over to the chaise. She leaned over him, blocking out some of the light in case that was what bothered him. “…Taliah?”

“Yup. You collapsed. Come on, it’s bath time.” She wasted no time figuring out how his foreign clothes worked, managing to relieve the boy of his shirt before he seemed to realise what was happening.

“W-what?! I-I, u-uh, I can do it myself!” His face was completely red from embarrassment, arms crossed protectively over his chest. Taliah rolled her eyes.

“Dude, you’re not the first guy I’ve helped take a bath. I was gonna leave your underwear on.” She paused, glaring suspiciously at him. “…Do you even _have_ underwear on?”

“I— _yes_! I have underwear on!”

“Great. Less awkward for me, then.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” 

“It means I don’t want to see your dick. Got a problem with that?”

“W-what – I – wh—” His face and chest were bright like he had fever. Taliah put a hand to his face. Mikleo stilled under her.

“You don’t have a fever…” She hummed, the sound seeming to comfort the boy. “You should try not to get too worked up. It’ll be better for your health that way.” 

She reached up to his circlet, letting her hands brush through his tangled hair until she found the clasps holding it in place. With an experimental flick, it pulled easily away. She was careful not to touch the gemstone innocently glittering in the light. Mikleo stayed silent through the ordeal, not even complaining when she put the jewellery on a nearby chaise. A stray flick of her gaze revealed a dazed haze overhanging his expression. She hadn’t used her abilities on him, so she didn’t know what was wrong. She frowned. 

Taliah didn’t like it when she didn’t know something, especially if that ignorance was at the detriment of others.

Regardless, she had a task to complete. By the time Mikleo had managed to break free from his spell, his feet had been relieved of their boots and legs were now bare. The only thing he wore was soft blue underwear. He didn’t get a chance to feel embarrassed. Taliah tilted his chin up and peered deep into his eyes. He felt like he was far more exposed than being naked could ever achieve. The feeling was only fleeting, dissipating the moment their eye-contact broke. 

She let him sit there a moment to catch his breath, satisfied that there wasn’t anything particularly wrong with his mind or body. It felt a little bit like when grandfather got sick, but she figured she’d only ask him about it if it got bad. As it was, the kid was probably just tired.

Without thinking, she picked Mikleo up bridal-style, much like she’d done when he’d fainted. His face seemed to develop soft hues of red but not as bad as before. That was good; embarrassment could be overcome as long as he didn’t relapse. Again. 

“I can walk.” He mumbled; red cheek pressed against a pleasantly cool shoulder. The heat made Taliah uncomfortable but she didn’t let it show. Discomfort could take a back-seat for this. 

“No, you can’t.” Her response was accentuated by a heavy sigh. She made it to the tub and carefully descended the steps until the water reached her thighs. She lowered her charge down until the warm water lapped at his chest, then pushed him back until he was seated against the rim. He watched her with a curious expression, eyes sparkling beneath the fluorescent lighting. She sensed a yearning for knowledge but knew the kind of knowledge he wanted was one she couldn’t freely give.

Not yet, anyway.

“I’m going to get my hair care products. It should help with all… _that_ ,” She gestured to the mess he seemed to call hair, letting an inkling of disgust enter her tone. How anyone could stand to leave their hair in such disarray for so long, despite the circumstances, still baffled her. Of course, _anything_ dirty was a pet peeve of hers. Bobby and Jake had taken the liberty of showing her the _beautiful_ side to life, from hair care to skin care to nails, and really anything that had to do with being _feminine_. Once she’d tasted the wonderful side of feeling _clean_ and _fresh_ , she knew she’d never go back.

It really was fortunate Mikleo didn’t take it to heart.

Taliah retrieved what she usually used in her routines so she’d be able to use them after the kid was taken care of. There was three different kinds of shampoos with various cleansing levels, of which she chose the strongest cleanser and a high moisture conditioner with a similar perfume. On her way back over, she swiped a spare comb from her styling drawer. After a moment of thought, she returned to the drawer. Mikleo’s hair seemed rather thin, but just in case, she added a brush more suited to thicker tresses to her kit. The rinsing cups were already by the tub. 

Her return startled him out of his musings. Taliah tried not to read too much into it, but she couldn’t turn off the ability anymore than the others could. She caught snippets, names mostly, all of which held with a touch of melancholy. Much like her exhaustion, she ignored the distraction with ease.

“I’m gonna need to scrub your hair to get all the gunk out. You just have to relax, okay?” Her words were met with a nod. He turned, letting his back lean comfortably on the side of the tub. She kneeled behind him; hands already full of heavy-duty shampoo. His shoulders tensed at being touched from behind. Regardless, as she worked the soap into his hear, his shoulders drooped. A relaxed sigh escaped him. Mikleo seemed to almost sink into the water.

“Careful. Don’t drown, okay?”

“Would you believe me if I said I could breathe underwater?” He seemed relaxed enough to snark, at least.

“No, I’d call you crazy. Now, head up. I need to keep this out of your eyes.”

Mikleo did as Taliah said, tilting his head up when she nudged his chin. She used one of the cups to the side to scoop up water. Before pouring on top of his head, she cautioned “close your eyes.” He did. With just a single pour, most of the mud was removed along with the shampoo. A few more pours and all of the shampoo was gone, leaving nothing but matted white locks in its wake. Closer inspection revealed that the tips of his hair had an aqua hue…

_That’s gotta be the most natural-looking dip-dye I’ve ever seen._

In any case, she continued with her task, putting a large glob of conditioner in her hands. She spread it evenly in the locks, pausing one hand when it seemed as if Mikleo were leaning into its touch. She was admittedly putting a healers’ touch into every brush. Light shone just beneath her fingertips, looking for any injuries she may have missed earlier. She found none, but knew it was still a calming sensation to those under her care, and as such she kept going. 

With his head cradled in one hand, Taliah picked up the comb and lightly tugged at the nearest matted mass. Dipping the comb into the water every few minutes seemed to help the process along and soon half of Mikleo’s hair was completely free of knots. She took her hand from its resting place on the only matted side of his head, passing the comb over and letting her newly free hand rest on his shoulder. Now that she’d found her rhythm, it was a matter of minutes before she was able to complete the task. When she glanced down, she saw Mikleo’s eyes were already closed.

“I’m gonna pour some more water, now.”

He nodded. It was strange having another person actually _let_ her do anything. Normally, whenever she’d have to care for her family members, they’d always told her what to do and when to do it. Actually doing this because she wanted it was a nice change. It was a lot like caring for all the ‘strays’, as her mother kindly put it. 

After rinsing out the conditioner from Mikleo’s now silky smooth hair, Taliah ran a hand through the tresses to make sure there wasn’t any residue. Finding none, she smiled, leaning back on her heels.

“That’s a wrap. Now your hair is clean and ready for bed. You still gotta rinse off in the shower, though.” She put the kit near the door leading to the shower room, picking up a bar of moisturising soap from one of the ornamental bowls lining the room. “Here, you can use this to scrub your skin if you still feel unclean.” She held the bar out, expecting Mikleo to have gotten up. When nothing happened, she looked back, finding him where she left him. She furrowed her brows. 

“Mikleo?”

No response. She walked back over to the bathtub. Kneeling beside his head, she took a look at his face. Amethyst eyes were misty, but she doubted it was from the dissipating steam. 

“You doin’ alright?” She asked softly, not wanting to startle him. He blinked, tilting his head in her direction. Mikleo frowned. If she listened, she could hear a faint whirlwind of thoughts cascading through the air. He sighed

“What did you grandfather mean when he said all that stuff about family and…” _Angel? Really?_

Taliah took a moment to think. She didn’t know the full answer, but there was something she _could_ say.

“The Seraphim are often depicted as angels. You said you were one of those. It could be that he really meant you’re a Seraph and the word is simply interchangeable in the language.” Taliah shrugged. It was all she knew.

“And the rest of it?” He pushed. She knew he knew he was pushing, but she didn’t get offended. Honestly, she was a little stumped on that, herself. 

“I don’t know,” she answered truthfully. At the flash of disbelief on her companion’s expression, she amended, “The only family I know is the people you saw today. But… If grandfather seems to think you’re family to us, then you just _are_. I’m sorry…” She closed her eyes, breathing deep to steady herself. “Sometimes not every mystery is meant to be solved.” 

Mikleo leaned his head forward. His damp hair got in his eyes but he didn’t seem to mind. 

Still…

“Let’s get you showered. Then you can take the bed.” She said, trying to distract from the melancholic atmosphere that seemed to pervade the room. She figured promises of a nice warm bed would cheer the mood up. Mikleo only frowned.

“I can’t take your bed. That would be extremely rude of me.” He was so factual about it, Taliah almost pat his head from the cuteness.

“Awwwww. I guess someone’s got a soft side. Softleo.” She couldn’t help but tease. Mikleo’s tense countenance was almost a welcome change.

“Don’t call me that! It’s ‘Mikleo’. Mik-le-oh!” His face was flushed red. Taliah chuckled.

“Whatever you say, Softy.”

Mikleo sighed, looking up as if the answers were somehow above him. He tried to stand in the tub, almost falling on his side from a headrush. Taliah stepped inside the tub in time to catch him, holding him close to keep him from falling again. When he got his bearings, he lifted his head from her shoulder where it had been braced with a hand. Taliah gave him an assessing look.

“I didn’t take you for the swooning princess.” She teased, knowing it would be awkward without. As predicted, Mikleo turned bright red. She had to flick his nose. “Don’t get too worked up. Relapse.” Mikleo rubbed his nose, protecting the poor thing from further attacks. With her help, he managed to haul ass to the shower room, where a plastic chair was already placed. Once sat in his new throne, he assessed the chair.

“What _is_ this?” He murmured. Still, Taliah figured it’d be safer to just tell him than risk him bumping into Bobby and Jake later and letting them explain.

“It’s made of plastic, a synthetic material created with man-made machines. Don’t eat it. It tastes bad.” She cautioned. Mikleo pulled a face but seemed satisfied with the answer. Taliah handed him the moisturising soap bar.

“If you still feel unclean, use this. I’ll get the shower running.” She stepped away and began to mess with a lever attached to the wall. When she pulled it up, icy water spouted from a nozzle above her. The water drenched her, but it wasn’t much of an improvement from earlier. She took it in stride, nudging at the lever from left to right until the water’s hum took on a distinct pitch. Once the pitch was right, the temperature warmed to just the right level. She hummed, stepping out of the spray. She motioned for Mikleo to join her. 

He stood with some difficulty but managed to make it over without falling. It was, admittedly, an improvement. Taliah nudged him into the gentle spray and watched for any sign of regression. After a moment of no dizzy spells, she stepped back.

“Remember to use the soap if you need it. I’ll go get the towels.” With that, she ducked out of the room, only spending half a minute to gather the fluffiest towels in the pile. When she ducked back into the room, she noticed that the water was turned off and the soap bar was in a tray by the shower lever with a few other soaps. Mikleo was shaking in the plastic chair, breathing heavily like he’d just run a marathon. Taliah winced in sympathy. She came over with the towels. 

“Done?” She hummed, reflexively checking for signs of injury. There appeared to be none. It seemed as though he was just tired. 

“Yeah. Thanks.” He mumbled as she tossed one of the towels around his shoulders. He grasped the material much like in the shuttle, keeping it close to his body. He didn’t meet her eye.

“I’ll help you to the bedroom. I should have spare clothes for you to use there,” She gave him the other towel to wrap around his waist. Once done, she led the way out of the bathroom and through the main hall of her quarters. She kept an arm around his shoulders, making sure to keep her pace slow so he wouldn’t struggle to keep up. He was a few inches shorter than her which made it so much easier to have him tucked beside her like a baby chick. 

Taliah was grateful that the vents in her quarters were running warm air. It was hard enough to walk around in wet underwear. A glance at her newly dubbed baby chick revealed he shared similar sentiments, glancing at blowing vents in the walls and ceiling as they went. Eventually, after passing ten different doors leading to various other rooms in the quarters, they reached her bedroom. She watched Mikleo nearly swoon from relief. It was endearing. Her quarters weren’t even the largest in the manor.

After setting Mikleo on a wooden chair by the curtained window, drawn to preserve what little privacy was still to be had, Taliah walked into her cupboard. She didn’t have to go far, just a few steps to reach the drawers with faded long-sleeve pyjamas and boys’ underwear from when she was younger and could get away with ‘borrowing’ her uncles’ clothes. 

_The twins never really minded, anyways._

It was evident that their clothes were the ones picked from the signature ‘B’ and ‘J’ embroidered in blue and red on each article of clothing. Even the underwear wasn’t safe from their mark. Still, she could think of a lot worse things to give Mikleo.

_Guess he better count his lucky stars I won’t give him my old pink nightgown._

With articles of clothing in hand, she walked back into the main bedroom. Mikleo was as she left him: peeking up from the warmth of his fluffy towels. His hair seemed to have dried by now, falling into a natural wave at the tips. She did her best mental impression of Bobby.

_Fabulous!_

She got it every time. 

Taliah set the clothes down on the small reading desk by the chair, underwear at the top. She figured it couldn’t hurt to assist where she could.

“There you go. Fresh clean clothes. I’ll get the partition.” She nudged a handle to her right, producing a sheet of thickly-woven fabric that folded out and hid Mikleo from sight. “Give a yell if you need anything.”

Mikleo still hadn’t said anything. From what Taliah could hear, there wasn’t much going through the kid’s head. Whatever did pop up floated like the person thinking it wasn’t completely there. In any case, the thoughts were related to limb coordination, paired with whatever movement she could catch from her side of the partition. 

Soon enough, there was a knock from Mikleo’s side. Taliah pushed the partition back to its storage area. When she looked at her companion, she was pleased to find that the clothes were a near-perfect fit. The clothes hung off of him a little but otherwise they suited him, in all his tired glory. The underwear he’d been using before was now in the centre of the towels, slightly concealed by their fluffiness. Taliah made a mental note to put it in the laundry room for the staff to deal with later. 

“Ready for bed?” She asked, at this point not expecting any answer. Imagine her surprise when she got one.

“Thank you.” 

“Huh?” Taliah blinked. 

“I said ‘thank you’. For… everything. You didn’t have to do that.” For all his seemingly straightforward personality, Mikleo seemed to love talking in riddles.

_Why is he thanking me? Did I do something nice? I don’t think I did…_

“Uh… Dude, it’s cool. I just hope you get better.” She tried to play it off. Her grandfather had labelled him family, and as far as she was concerned, family didn’t need to thank each other; it was already implied. 

_Maybe Amelia’s right. Grandfather might have missed the mark on this one…_

In any case, Mikleo nodded, accepting her response. She motioned him to the bed before things got anymore awkward.

_Pretty sure we’re past that point, but sure._

“Mikleo, bed. Bed, meet Mikleo. I’m sure you’re both going to have a wonderful and healthy relationship.” She guided him to the bed, enjoying the quiet chuckle her dry humor elicited. 

She had to move a few stuffed animals ( _try ten_ ) away, but soon the bed was occupied by one very tired Seraphim. On instinct, she brushed his hair out of his face, relishing the soft skin of his forehead—

_Oh crap! His circlet!_

Taliah withdrew her hand from his face as if he’d burnt her. His eyelids fluttered open questioningly, but it was too late; she’d already gone.

Taliah retraced her steps until she found the golden circlet on the chaise it had been abandoned on. The metal had drops of moisture sticking to its features. Taliah took one of the spare towels left over and tried to rub the think dry. It wasn’t perfect, but it seemed like it was suitable to wear again. With that, she dashed back to her room through the still-open door, circlet in hand. 

Mikleo was just as she’d left him, eyes struggling to stay open despite the exhaustion that had to be biting his heels. Taliah reached the bedside, resting the circlet on the nightstand as if it belonged there.

“Okay, _now_ it’s time for sleep. Everything’s fine now. Just peachy.” She wheezed, trying to keep her breathing under control. 

_Being a shut-in sucks. Why did I ever choose this life?_

Mikleo still wasn’t letting his eyes shut. He was looking at the open doorway that led into the hall. Noticing this, she was quick to close it. Upon returning to the bedside, she saw his eyelids flutter shut and stay that way, not even a twitch to stay awake. Taliah sighed. 

_That was embarrassing…_

Regardless, she let herself card a softly glowing hand through freshly-washed locks. He sighed, unconsciously tilting his head into the motion. With the safety of her charge ensured, Taliah reluctantly left Mikleo to the Sandman. 

_Sweet dreams and all that jazz._

The mysteries that cropped up today were placed on a mental backburner. For now, Taliah busied herself with putting away their soiled clothes in the laundry room and washing up. She’d figure everything out after a solid night’s rest in one of the comfy couches, preferably in the safety of her miniature library.

_Mikleo’s going to blow his shit when he sees my collections._


	6. Not Every Mystery is Meant to be Solved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikleo.

Breathing was an intimate experience. Air came in through his mouth and nose, passing through clear tunnels into the body until it reached and expanded his lungs. It created pressure – built it, even – then rushed out of him. In, out. In and out. Over and over. A cycle that proved he was alive.

A cycle he clung to with every fibre of his being. 

His mind wandered in a blank expense, shifting with each inhale and exhale of his physical body. Colours washed through the expanse, sometimes; blues, greens, yellows and deep reds – all blending together in splashes of dye across a cotton canvas. The colours soaked into vivid existence, then faded back out of focus; all timed to the beat of his heart and the breaths that fuelled him. 

Sensory perceptions seemed to grace him in slow starts and stops. A soft voice, low and woven with the cool traces of water, brushed by his ears in intelligible whispers. He thought he could feel a strangely familiar hand gently brush his cheek, but it numbed moments later. Still, the presence grounded him as surely as any of Edna’s jabs, encouraging him to just _focus_. Maybe he could pick up more if he really tried.

Sure enough, his efforts bore some fruit. It disappointed him how bitter they were.

_‘He won’t wake up…’_

That was Taliah; voice gentle like a small stream trickling down into a creek. It sounded worried…

_‘The pollution? You mean like grandfather’s…’_

With this newfound sense of physicality, come about with him seemingly re-entering his own body, a blazing fire took hold of him. He didn’t have yet control of himself, unable to scream in the midst of being burned alive. Every nerve sung, shrill in their pain. Pressure built in his temples, feeling for all the world like his head would explode in any second. 

_‘Of course. Thank you. I’ll call you back.’_

The air entering him was sharper; not as full. It whooshed out through his mouth. Lungs were alit inside of him. The flames ate at every breath, causing his head to feel light from lack of air. If he could, he’d let himself cry. He wished the pain would _stop_. 

“ _Thank you, Mayvin._ ” Her voice was there; more solid and real than the void he’d imagined himself in. He sobbed. The pain was indescribable in his addled mind. Soft fingers trailing down his neck cooled some of the fire, the sensation branching out until every breath no longer felt like sharp needles. 

Those fingers pressed until a palm lay flat against the skin of his chest, the whole hand touching the area above his heart. Familiar healing artes, cool and welcoming as water, fed his mana and doused the flames within him. From his temples to his toes, fingers and navel; every limb and ligament was extinguished and chilled to a pleasant tremble. He relished in this relief. 

His body rest against drenched sheets, weak as a kitten. His whole body shivered against the cool energy flowing through him. When his breathing improved from its helpless pant, the hand removed itself from his chest. He cracked his eyes open. Crystalline purple met reflective sheets of metal. 

“Mikleo? Can you hear me?” Her voice was a balm to his frazzled nerves. He blinked.

“… Ta—” He broke off into a coughing fit. Pain lanced across his throat and stars speckled across his vision. When he felt he could breathe again without fear of a relapse, he fell limp against the mattress. He felt something cool touch his lips and opened them on instinct. Cool water filled his mouth, and with the help of a glowing hand trailing circles into his neck, the pain subsided long enough to swallow. He tried to gulp more than the small sips he was allowed, but Taliah wouldn’t have any of it. 

“Slowly. Don’t choke.” Her instructions were firm but lacked their usual hum. Still, he obeyed the command. There was something about her that made it easy, like everything would be alright if he listened and did as he was told. Mikleo’s mind was still somewhere between here and the void, unable to truly separate dream from reality. It was quite befuddling. 

When the water stopped being poured into his mouth, he opened his eyes again. Taliah leaned back from him and set a metal cannister down on the table next to the bed. His circlet lay beside it, innocently glimmering in the light coming through the windows nearby. 

“Well, at least you’re not _dying_ , anymore. I swear there’s a bright side to this.” She massaged the bridge of her nose, her voice nothing more than a dry lament. Mikleo couldn’t force his eyes to tear away from her. She was _glowing_ …

_Am I still asleep?_

“Trust me; you’re not. That was a shit—it was _bad_. It—” She puffed out a breath, removing her hand from her face. Her eyes bore into Mikleo’s. The intensity took him by surprise. “How do you feel?”

Her concern wasn’t anything different from yesterday, but the delivery felt off. Everything felt off, actually. His fingers felt swollen and hard to move and his head might as well have multiple knives stabbing repeatedly into it with how sharp the pain was. But…

_She’s right. I don’t feel like I’m dying, anymore._

“I feel… off…” He mumbled through nerveless lips. Taliah brought a hand to his face and brushed stray strands of hair out of his eyes. Her glowing fingers soothed the worst of his discomfort, leaving dull aches across his skull. He sighed as the relief urged him to let his eyelids fall shut. The bedsheets stuck uncomfortably to his skin and he wasn’t a fan of his shirtless-ness but he ignored it all. There were more important things to worry about. “What happened?”

“We’re… still trying to figure that out,” She admitted. Her voice was back to its usual hum. He didn’t know it was such a luxury until now. He relished in how it vibrated against his skin through the air around him. In a way, it reminded him a bit of a kitten’s purr. “You were really out of it, this morning. When I came to check up on you, your fever had come back with a vengeance and there were these scale-looking things growing across your chest. I did what I could, but…”

Her guilty countenance caused Mikleo to open his eyes and glance down. Flecks of sharp obsidian protruded the skin, dotting his chest with artful precision. Glimmering along the obsidian was, sure enough, deep blue scales. The sight was familiar enough for him to understand what was happening. 

“Malevolence… But how—” 

“My brother and sister aren’t like the rest of us,” Taliah interrupted, looking incredibly guilty. Mikleo stared with wide eyes. “They, along with a few of my uncles, haven’t inherited our… affinities. Put simply: they’re completely human.” She took a deep breath. “You said malevolence comes from humans. If we put all the human contact you had into a single timeline, they were the only ones you really spent time with, yesterday.” 

“That’s not exactly how malevolence works,” Mikleo tried to explain, “It’s not just human contact. The human, themselves, have to emit it for it to infect those around them.” His stomach dropped when she gravely nodded.

“You’re right. My uncles wouldn’t emit it. Grandfather hangs around them often enough to confirm this. It’s only when he’s near my siblings that he gets sick like this,” she gestured to Mikleo’s prone form. “He says their darkness poisons the air.”

Mikleo gulped. He’d admit he’d felt something off about them when they’d met, but they hadn’t looked like hellions so he’d let it slide. His vision hadn’t been at its greatest then, either. But to think that just one meeting with them caused such an adverse reaction…

“I think I’ve found it.” She blurt out. Mikleo looked up. “The bright side.”

“What is it?”

“You don’t look like you’re turning into a lizard, anymore.” She nodded sagely, sure that that was it. Mikleo facepalmed, surprised he could move his arm for the motion. “Your skin kinda looked like an alligator’s hide, actually.” She put a hand to her chin, giving it some thought. 

“An alligator?” Mikleo parroted. He’d never heard of such a creature. Taliah nodded. She brought out a small brick-shaped device from her pockets, tapping on its surface before flipping it around for him to see an image of this ‘alligator’. Mikleo shuddered. 

_It looks like a drake without wings…_

“Drake? You mean a tiny dragon? Those don’t exist—” Her eyes widened, then darted away. “Never mind.”

Mikleo’s lips quirked up. Upon seeing this, Taliah got up from her perch at the bedside. 

“I’m gonna go get you something to wear. If you’re feeling up to it, I can make us brunch.” Taliah was already through the door to her clothing room by the time she’d finished speaking. 

_She doesn’t waste time, does she?_ He mused. 

It took some effort, but he soon managed to get out of the uncomfortably moist sheets and perch himself on the edge of the bed where Taliah had sat. Looking back at his resting place gave him quite a shock.

“Is that…” _Malevolence?_

Unearthly dark stains marred the sheets where he’d lain, emitting a faint heavy feeling when he put a hand near them. It left a film of moist residue on the surface, giving the illusion of water. Mikleo paled. Looking down at his skin revealed none of the malevolence had clung to him. Still…

_There’s so much. I’m surprised I didn’t turn into a drake last night._

He had to get as far away from that stuff as he could. With that in mind, he lumbered onto unsteady feet. He briefly remembered to fix his circlet to his head before coming close to a window with a wooden chair and reading desk beside it. He thought he could remember it from the previous night, when he’d gotten changed into his new clothes. 

Looking through the uncovered window revealed impossibly blue skies and cloud cover. Fluffy clouds brushed up against the window but didn’t penetrate the thick glass, instead curling into it, creating frosted patterns along its surface. He sat on the chair. Mikleo was simply content staring at clouds come by and lazily greet him. Thoughts of the malevolence on the bed slowly left his mind.

In the peace of his mind, Mikleo remembered those he’d lost. Last night, in the forest, he’d thought some of them had come to him as he’d rested against Taliah. He tried to rationalise the occurrence away; it was cold, he was tired, they’d just walked partway up a mountain that seemed as tall as Mt. Mabinogio. He remembered how he’d tried to speak to them, but they’d remained quiet. He remembered seeing Gramps, and Muse, and—

_Sorey…_

There was a dull ache in his chest; one that never left. The pain of losing Sorey— even if he wasn’t technically lost— still drove a spike deep into his heart every time he thought of the boy. It had only been a few years since he’d sacrificed everything to help Maotelus to purify the world. He stopped trying to count the days a few months in, when malevolence had started to build each time. 

Mikleo heard this was what grief felt like for humans. 

He wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone. 

Mikleo flicked his left hand out, willing Muse’s staff into existence. He wanted to see it again. 

Nothing happened. 

Mikleo flicked his wrist again, but still, no staff appeared. No mana sung beneath his fingertips, nor was he able to conjure it from sheer willpower. 

_No… What’s – What’s happening to me? I can’t use my Seraphic artes… I can't conjure—_

Tears welled in his eyes. That staff was all he had to remember that day. Gramps’ pipe was in Elysia, and Sorey’s Celestial Record was safely tucked away next to Artorius’ throne. He was planning on visiting the site after paying his respects to Kyme, the new lord, but then—

Mikleo choked on a sob. He felt the obsidian spikes on his chest spread across his torso. Despair welled up within him, feeding the malevolence that grew across his skin. He caved in on himself. Amethyst eyes slit open to watch as his darkness spread to the rest of the room. 

_No… Stop… please…_

“Mikleo?!” Taliah’s voice echoed through the darkness his malevolence caused. He barely saw the light haloing her as she raced to his side, a hand on his caked-over shoulder. Scales covered the entirety of his torso and had begun its journey down his arms. He bowed his head in shame, unable to meet her eye as he fell further into his grief. 

_None of them had to die. They didn’t have to go._

Warm tears fell from his eyes. He shut them, shaking as he held in another sob. 

_I’m such a liability. I can’t use my artes, Elysia is gone, and—_

Mikleo felt the malevolence creep up his face, covering his pale cheeks with shimmering dark scales.

_There’s nobody left… No one. They’re all gone._

His thoughts stilled, as did the malevolence clinging to his body. He distinctly felt Taliah’s hands on his face, trying to snap him out of it. 

_Gone._

Glowing crystal eyes snapped open, seeing nothing ahead of him but the void from his dreams. The gemstone embedded in his circlet shone through thick white tresses. Mikleo heard a woman’s voice call his name. It was familiar...

_Muse!_

_‘Mikleo, you must listen. You have to let go.’_ Muse’s voice echoed in his head. He wondered if he was hallucinating. 

_Muse, I don’t know what that means. I—I’m sorry._

_‘There’s nothing to be sorry for. Just let go.’_ Her voice pleaded within him. He felt tears leak from sightless eyes.

_I can’t. I can’t just let it go like nothing happened. It’s not right!_

_‘This pain… Release it… Please... I’m here. Do not mourn me, Mikleo. I’m here.’_ The words were soft; as soft as the hands carding his hair and wiping his face. He surrendered to the feeling, letting it ground him amidst these toxic emotions. It wasn’t the only ache that plagued him but hearing Muse’s voice was enough to help him relent in these dangerous thoughts. The pain in his chest lessened to a dull hum, a constant reminder but nothing more. 

Cracking his eyes open into the freshly brightened room, Mikleo started under Taliah’s grip. He stared deep into softly-glowing metallic eyes as Taliah’s voice muttered and hummed pleasantly through the air in an unfamiliar language. Their foreheads were pressed together hard enough that he could feel his circlet digging into his skin. Her hands were buried in the hair at the back of his skull, keeping him close.

Mikleo didn’t move. He let his eyes bore into hers as mana flowed between them. He could feel the taint caking him begin to slip off in slimy clumps, sticking to him for as long as it could before dripping to the floor. 

When the last of the malevolence had been cleansed from his body, Taliah’s eyes returned to their natural reflective state. In them, he noticed his own eyes were bright like miniature lamp fixtures attached to his head. He blinked.

She released him and leaned back into a standing position, looking at the floor around them. Taliah kicked one of the malevolent goops. 

“I know what I’m throwing at Connor the next time he comes at me,” she muttered, eyes half-lidded, shoulders slouched. She swayed. 

Mikleo leapt up in time to catch her by the shoulders. 

“Taliah!” He cried. She chuckled at his worry.

“Check it out: all better. No more scales,” Her usual hum sounded more like a croak. Mikleo let himself glance down for a split second, noting that, yes, there was no trace of malevolence left on his body. He felt clean. He also felt it when Taliah’s knees completely gave way. 

“Don’t worry, I got you.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, keeping her up with her arm hooked over his shoulders. She fist pumped the air.

“Woo.” 

Mikleo snorted, dragging her over to the bed. 

_She sounds like Edna._

Strangely enough, the thought didn't hurt.

He deposited her on the edge of the mattress at the foot of the bed where there wasn’t any malevolence. Taliah groaned, flopping backward so her head was comfortably resting on one of the many and-knitted animals she’d moved last night. Her stomach gave a righteous growl. She covered the offending area with an arm.

“Feed me,” She demanded, not opening her eyes. She pointed to one of the desks lining the room.  
“Clothes, first.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Mikleo was quick to comply. He felt bad about forcing her to use so much energy on him but was grateful she was able to deal with him. It would’ve been bad if he’d turned into a dragon in such a cramped room.

He put on the soft grey long-sleeve suit Taliah had provided for him. It was a bit big, but he found that the pants had a drawstring to adjust at the waist so at least the pants wouldn’t fall. 

“Where can I find food?” Mikleo asked the dozing girl. She pointed at the door.

“Out that door, turn right. Two doors down, door on the left. Rations will do.” Her voice was as deadpan as when Bobby and Jake had picked them up from the lookout. He figured the tone indicated she was tired but didn’t wish to make it known. He understood the sentiment. 

Mikleo nodded at her request and took one last glance at Taliah before leaving the room. He turned right and moved forward, counting the doors as he went. When he reached what he felt was the right door, he opened it and discovered a fairly-stocked storeroom with shelves stocked with different kinds of edible goods stored in sealed see-through containers. 

Upon closer inspection, he noticed each container was mercifully labelled and that one of the containers was labelled ‘rations’, inside being small packages of some kind. He shrugged and attempted opening the lid. It came off with some resistance. After obtaining at least three of the small packages, he sealed the lid and replaced the container where he found it. 

_This should be enough._

With that, he made his way back to Taliah’s room, all the while unaware of his circlet’s green gem brightly glowing in the sunlit halls. 

Nor did he notice the woman trailing in his shadow.


	7. Some Mysteries Solve Themselves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AN: Had an assignment due today so I did the assignment instead of writing this. I know. I'm a monster.
> 
>  
> 
> Taliah.

The woman drew her eye to her like a laser pointer to a cat. From her glittering amethyst eyes to her long brown hair braided down her back, the woman looked every bit as graceful as the water seraph helping Taliah into a sitting position. The only thing that drew her eye more was the bedazzling green gem set into a matching circlet atop her head, identical to Mikleo’s in every way imaginable. This dead woman, Muse, was the only reason she’d been able to strip the taint from his body and stop it from coming back. Taliah held a grudging respect for that.

She tiredly watched as the spirit walked to one of the darkest corners of the room and simply lingered, far from the puddles of malevolence that pooled at her reading window. Taliah was too tired to properly cleanse the goops but she knew she had to do it soon otherwise her whole room would taint over. 

She felt a migraine coming along to make a home in her left eye.

_Fuck._

“…How does this thing even open…?” She heard the kid mumble from beside her, analysing the foil packaging around her ration bars. She could’ve laughed.

“Don’t bother. They’re idiot-proofed,” Taliah snarked with no malice, plucking the wrapping from his hands with aching fingers while ignoring incredulous spluttering. It took her all of three seconds to find the imperfection within the corrugated ends and tug gently to tear it open. She only had enough energy left to take a single bite of the sweetened snack before falling into Mikleo. He had to keep an arm up to steady her shoulders, else she’d fall from the bed. Without warning, her bedroom’s door burst open, revealing two unexpected and (frankly) unwanted guests. 

“What do you want?” She wasn’t in the mood for theatrics, right now. Thankfully, the twins seemed to understand her plight.

“We’re here to help!” Bobby posed heroically in his janitors’ garb. Jake nodded sagely to his left, a hand hovering directly over his heart. Weakened as she was, Taliah appreciated the help, pointing to the window reeking of taint. The boys got to work immediately, throwing a clear solution into the taint and watching it hiss and throb as it shrunk down. The stench began to fade.

“Who told on me?” She wondered out loud. She hadn’t told grandfather or the twins that she’d had trouble with getting rid of the darkness. Realistically, she knew exactly who dobbed her in, but she asked anyways. It was never good to simply assume.

“Mayvin. He said you were tired so _we_ figured—” Bobby pointed to him and Jake while spraying another round of the solution.

“We’d help our darling niece with her homework. Shame on you to leave it so late,” Jake scolded. Taliah knew what he meant: leave the taint alone too long and it would spread. If it got to grandfather, they’d be roiling in it for weeks. 

“Won’t happen again. I’ve learned my lesson about cutting corners.” She promised. Taliah took another bite, watching her elders work. Within minutes, the taint had dissipated and they’d begun to physically shift the air around them with wide arcs of their arms, feeling for any residual darkness. Green wisps trailed their hands and curled along their movements before dissolving into the air. Mikleo gasped beside her. She didn’t even need to strain her abilities to catch his thoughts.

_Wind artes? But that’s— Oh, right. Never mind…_

She snorted. He was at least getting the hang of concealing his thoughts. It would come in handy if he were to be confronted by her siblings. She shifted her gaze to the darkest corner in the room, watching the woman simply lurk. She watched her uncles with thinly-veiled fascination but seemed to otherwise keep her eyes on Mikleo. She wondered what the story was, there. She let her eyes fall to the ration bar still in her lap. 

_All in due time, I suppose._

As she thought that, the twins turned her way. They’d finished with the mess on the floor and were angling to get at the stains on her bed. She nodded, sending them confirming thoughts that she was okay with them messing with her bed. The nodded back. It took them a fraction of the time and even less of the solution for her bed to be as fresh and clean as it was the night before. Taliah got out of Mikleo’s arms and crawled under the sheets, propping her back against the mounds of fluffy pillows. She reached an arm out.

“Tiger-teddy,” she demanded, pointing to the only non-knitted toy that was softer than all the rest. Sure enough, it was a teddy bear fashioned into a tiger, complete with whiskers and a bow tie. Bobby tossed it her way without further prompting, earning him the sight of Taliah curling up around the toy and sinking into her covers. She nibbled her rations bar miserably.

“I feel like shit,” She bemoaned, only her eyes visible above the hand-stitched quilt pooling over her. Mikleo looked away guiltily. Seeing this, she kicked out a foot, successfully catching him in the side.

“Hey!” He yelped as he fell from the bed. Mikleo glared up at her. Taliah glared right back.

“Don’t start, dude. I did that because I _wanted_ to. But if you _really_ wanted to make it up to me…” She trailed off, looking away as if in thought. Mikleo jumped up.

“I do. I mean it. I’m so sorry, Taliah. I didn’t mean for that to happen,” He was so _earnest_ , she almost felt bad for what she was going to say. Taliah sighed, looking for all the world like a miserable little girl under all the blankets and pillows.

“Read me a story.” It took all her willpower not to smirk. He nodded so fast she thought his head would come off. Bobby and Jake both hid their snickers behind their hands. _They_ knew what was coming. “Not just any story. Guys,” She motions to the twins, “get the book. The one with the little flaps.”

“Uh…” Poor thing seemed to question what he’d agreed to. Taliah shrugged. There was more than one path to Rome, and her Rome was entertainment. 

Bobby and Jake returned with the hardcover book. It was larger than any of the tomes in her private library and had intricate symbols lining the cover. The pages were quite thin despite having tabs and interactive slips of paper within them. Taliah let herself smile behind her covers. 

And so for the next few hours, Taliah, Bobby, Jake and the mysterious woman in the corner of the room were all entertained by Mikleo’s retelling of the LEGO Ninjago Movie. He was made to read every line, play with every tab and interactive slip of paper on every page, and put on different voices for each of the characters as per his audience’s urgings. Taliah cracked up whenever he’d put a mouse squeak for Garmadon, actually crying the first time he’d used the voice. She knew there was a reason she’d bought that book and now she’d finally found it.

When he’d finally finished the amazing meme of a story, the twins applauded enthusiastically. They stood from their seats at the foot of the bed, well out of reach of Taliah’s kicking feet. Mikleo sat to Taliah’s left. He leaned back into the pile of pillows, having more than enough room to share. Taliah chuckled breathlessly, closing her eyes and catching what breath she could. She’d finished her rations bar a while ago and hadn’t the energy to eat anymore. 

The twins promised to come back later with better offerings and left the room. On their way out, they’d mentally asked Taliah if she needed help with the spirit in her room, but she declined. The respected her wishes and left her to it. She sensed when they left her quarters thanks to her strength somewhat returning. Taliah turned to Mikleo.

“How was that?” She asked. Mikleo sighed, covering his face with a hand. A small smile tugged on his lips.

“It was… _embarrassing_. Now I know why you asked me to do that.”

Taliah cocked an eyebrow.

“Do you, now?” She jested. He removed his hand from his face and turned to face her.

“It was to make up for falling into malevolence, right? You’re still tired from helping me. It’s only fair that I be put into an uncomfortable position as penance.” His smile had vanished, replaced by a worried frown. Taliah sensed he was worried for _her_. She rolled her eyes.

_People never worry about me. This kid doesn’t need to start, now._

“Wrong.”

“Huh?”

“It was a distraction.” She stared into his eyes, waiting for the moment comprehension lit within those crystalline orbs. He blinked.

“… oh…” Mikleo avoided her eye. She sighed.

“Did it work?” Her words were met with a meek nod. She figured she’d take the answer for what it was. From what she could tell, Mikleo was telling the truth. There wasn’t any malevolence coming from him or being absorbed into him and his thoughts were painfully looping on some of the more embarrassing scenes in the book he’d just read aloud. 

Taliah figured it was as good a time as any to address the figurative elephant in the room now that they’d reached a more stable atmosphere. She cleared her throat.

More than one pair of bejewelled eyes bore into her. She was more than used to the attention. 

“Are you going to introduce yourself?” Taliah said lowly, no hum to be found. She felt Mikleo’s discomfort. Still, the woman stayed resolutely in her corner. Mikleo sat up and looked at her.

“Taliah?” His confused eyes didn’t sway her. She pointed to the corner of the room.

“We have a guest, Mikleo,” She explained, “it’s only polite they say _hi_.”

Mikleo looked into the corner but frowned.

“Uh… Taliah? There’s nothing there.”

She snorted. 

_Of course he can’t see them. That would be too easy._

From the corner of her eye, Taliah saw Mikleo give her a worried look. She tore her eyes from the glaring ghost and gave him a charming smile she usually reserved for galas. As predicted, a shy blush lightly danced across his skin. He averted his eyes so he didn’t make direct eye-contact. She took what she could get.

_If he can’t see, then I’m not going to actively open his eyes._

“Just ignore me. I think the stress is getting to me. Maybe some time in my library will help,” She nudged in offering, watching the slow excited glimmer that filled Mikleo’s eyes. Her smile dropped from the sugar-sweet innocence to something warm and wry. He almost reminded her of herself, when she was small and all she had for company was a chair and her books. Entire universes, waiting to be plundered by another explorer.

“You have your own _library_!?” He gasped, finally succumbing to his no doubt adventurous spirit. At her nod, he beamed. “I know your mom has a library, but I thought that was _it_. I didn’t know you had _separate_ libraries—” He paused, seemingly thinking out loud, “then again, the ‘library’ might not even be that big. I’ve met people who think two or three books constitutes as a library…”

Taliah blinked.

_I can’t believe he just said that._

“You’re a _disbeliever_ ,” She hissed vehemently, eyes hard against her pouted expression. Mikleo, startled from his musings, gulped. 

“D-disbeliever? You mean it’s _not_ two or three books?” He sounded so surprised. Poor thing.

“How dare you insult me. I’m a scholar, not a Neanderthal. My collections are incredibly diverse and the pride and joy of my existence. You ought to feel ashamed of yourself.” She kept her amusement at bay, masking it with cool severity as she feigned indignation. Mikleo blinked.

Then blinked again.

And then snorted.

_What the fuck? No. Don’t laugh. Stop it. You’re going to make me laugh._

Too late, Taliah realised she’d cracked under Mikleo’s infectious snickers. She shoved him, earning her more laughter. 

“You ass, I was trying to play coy,” She complained. Mikleo only laughed harder. He shook the bed with how hard he was laughing; Taliah was worried he’d fall off. When he calmed down, she was able to see the faintest trails of tear tracks lining his cheeks. She snorted. “You actually cried.” That earned her a shove.

“S-shut up! I-it’s not my fault you’re such a troll!” He said good-naturedly. Taliah chuckled.

“I take it you know someone similar?” Her words earned her a nod. 

“Her name’s ‘Edna’.” 

Taliah’s eyes lit with recognition.

“You’ve mentioned her a few times.”

“Yeah. We’re travelling companions. She’s… She’s a really good friend.” Mikleo’s smile faded, replaced by a faraway look that spoke of loss. She could hear a girl’s voice echoing from his direction.

_‘Jeez, Meebo. You’re such a sap. Sapleo.’_

Taliah recognised it as a fond memory, but the feelings of emptiness she was getting told another story.

“I know it’s not my place to pry, but… Is she…?” She left the question open-ended, not wanting to offend him, but unable to pull her curiosity. Thankfully, Mikleo was the forgiving type. He gave her a sad smile.

“Last I remember, no. She’s way too powerful to keel over, even from someone like Symonne.” He closed his eyes, leaning back against the pillows. She waited. “Out of everyone I know, she’s the most dependable support a person could have. She… I just hope she’s okay.” He took in an unsteady breath. “All of them.”

Taliah let her eyes wander down to her lap. She gazed at her hands, soft everywhere but the pads of her fingers from constant use. Running calloused fingers over old scars brought a measure of comfort in a morbid sense, helping her to remember what each pain represented. She got to a scar on her right hand gained from a papercut. She blinked.

“I have an idea.”

Her eyes were wide, still trying to work out the logistics of said idea. She hadn’t meant to blurt it, but now that she did, Mikleo’s earlier melancholy had vanished. In its place was unbridled curiosity. Without thinking of how her body might react, Taliah crawled out of bed. She let the chill cocoon her, clearing her mind and helping her focus on standing and walking without toppling over from exhaustion. 

_Idea first, sleep later._

She’d trotted over to her bedroom’s door before turning around. Mikleo hadn’t moved.

“Come _on_! Aren’t you curious?” She bounced a little. She knew her impatience showed but Taliah hadn’t had to wait for people to carry out her ideas in a long time. She forgot how it felt like pulling out your teeth sometimes. Those agonizing thoughts were wiped form her mind when the ghost from the corner watched her quizzically, Mikleo matching its expression. Unlike ghostie, though, _Mikleo_ at least knew to follow. 

_At least **he** listens to reason._

Her mental huff over the spirit not coming too halted when it also followed, apparently content to haunt the one person in the room who couldn’t see it. It went against a few of Taliah’s theories, but she ultimately summed it up to Mikleo being related to her in some form. 

_Probably by blood._

Regardless, when he reached her position at the door, she grabbed his arm and all but bounced across the hall to a set of ornate double doors. She pushed them in with a shoulder, not needing to use a handle as there wasn’t one. Beyond the entrance was a library that would seem huge to most if one hadn’t watched Beauty and the Beast. In retrospect, the room was a smaller version of that library, scaled down to fit a smaller Taliah, who never went anywhere outside of this room whenever she spent extended stays in the Tenreau manor. 

_Drives Mayvin up the wall._

Fond thoughts of her mentor were interrupted when Mikleo finally remembered how to breathe. Taliah let him go, watching him numbly stagger into the centre of the room. She watched him take in the numerous fireplaces dotted along the walls, the giant floor-to-ceiling windows that have to be cleaned every month, and the spiral staircases going up to a second level with study desks, art stations and random piles of metal for when she was in the mood for inventing. Mikleo approached a spinning wooden globe with flags and pins stuck all over. He traced his fingers along some of the labels before looking at Taliah as if in a new light.

“… These are ruins.” He mumbled, brows furrowed and an odd tilt to his head. She took it in stride.

“Yup. Mayvin likes me to keep up with his expeditions. They’re the ones with flags, by the way. The ones with pins are where I’ve been.” She took great joy in explaining, especially when it looked like Mikleo was drinking every word up with extreme vigour. He looked back at the globe.

“There’s so many. You’ve been to all these places?”

“Yeah. Mayvin took me in when I was around ten years old and showed me a life away from this place. He showed me freedom…” She trailed off, leaning against a nearby table. A warm feeling filled her chest. She smiled. “He comes back every couple of years for my birthday. It’s not for a while, thought, so I don’t know if you’ll get to meet him. On the bright side, he’s the one who taught me to read _this_ ,” She procured a thick tome from the table she was leaning against, setting it so it was easy to read. Mikleo blinked and came close to see what she’d meant. His eyes widened. 

“The history of Glenwood!” He exclaimed. She smiled.

“It’s never been called Glenwood, here,” She mused, watching Mikleo’s perplexed expression dawn in understanding. 

“Meaning it’s not from _here_.” He breathed. She nodded, opening it up to one of the many tabbed pages. It’s title was labelled ‘Maotelus’ in a series of symbols. The ancient tongue. 

“I found it in one of the ruins in the valley,” She whispered conspiratorially, watching as even the ghost leaned in to hear her words. Her eyes glimmered in the lighting. “There’s a set of tunnels under the manor that lead directly to it. The ruins are on the complete opposite side of the lake, and because of the mountains acting as a windbreaker, the ruins don’t show much in the way of decay. There’s a bunch of other artefacts I had to leave behind so nobody here would find them.” She glanced at the door, then brought her head closer to Mikleo’s until their temples touched. “The only reason I took the book was because nobody else here cares for them. The other artefacts though… You’re really going to want to see them.” She waited, watching his interest grow and then recede when caution furrowed at his eyebrows. It then seemed to resolve itself. He nodded, foreheads still touching.

“When do we leave?” His voice was equally hushed. It seemed even he knew the importance of secrecy. 

“Tonight. It’ll take us until morning to get there, and not because of the journey.” Her words earned her a confused look. “We’ll be dodging security and my family. You’ve seen how they can catch stray thoughts.” Mikleo nodded, urging her to continue. “I’ll tell you the rest of the plan when we get into the tunnels. For now, I think it’s best if we just relax.” She straightened from her stance, dislodging her forehead from his. Her voice went back to its usual volume. Now that there wasn’t anymore talk of late night escapades, there wasn’t a need to act suspicious prematurely. Mikleo nodded, understanding the nonverbal sign to act natural. 

“In that case, I’m going to browse your collections. Call me if you need anything.”

Taliah gave her agreement, watching the kid trot over to the nearest shelf. She was amused to note that his excitement was barely contained in the casual gesture. She remembered his reaction to last night’s idle collection in the shuttle. 

“At least he’ll be better occupied.”

Taliah blinked, then looked to the side. The woman was standing at her hip, staring in the direction Mikleo had wondered off to. In the moment of distraction, he’d managed to get behind one of the partition shelves between genres. 

“You’re a strange one,” She mused, looking at the suddenly talkative ghost. She received a faded smile.

“You’re stranger still,” It replied, “You can see me.”

“And he can’t.”

The spirit shook its head, smile fading into a forlorn expression. It sighed.

“No, he cannot.”

**Author's Note:**

> The OC swears. Fight me on this one. Not everyone is an angel, guys. We'll leave the innocence to Mikleo to counter it.
> 
> Well, tell me what you think. I'd like to know if my holiday is as nice as I'm trying to make it out to be. I wrote this when it was still hot, still gross, and still humid, which is why it's got so much rain and flooding everywhere. On the inside, I just want the cold lmao. Hope you guys enjoyed!


End file.
